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Topics: World News, Health, Technology, Cancer
Emily Brown
The European Commission has proposed a ban on flavoured vapes as part of a plan to help fight cancer.
The European Union’s executive branch announced the proposal in a statement on Wednesday (29 June) explaining it comes following a significant increase in the volume of flavoured vapes being sold across its 27 nations.
A study commissioned by the EU revealed a 10 percent increase in the sales of the produces in more than five Member States and overall in the EU, with heated tobacco products exceeding 2.5 percent of total sales of tobacco products.
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Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, explained that by removing flavoured vapes from the market the EU is 'taking yet another step towards realising our vision under Europe's Beating Cancer Plan to create a “Tobacco Free Generation"'.
The plan aims to result in less than 5 percent of the population using tobacco by 2040.
"With nine out of ten lung cancers caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives," Kyriakides continued. "Stronger actions to reduce tobacco consumption, stricter enforcement and keeping pace with new developments to address the endless flow of new products entering the market - particularly important to protect younger people – is key for this. Prevention will always be better than cure."
News of the proposal comes after the Swedish parliament voted against a ban on flavoured vapes this week after plans for such a law were announced last February.
At the time, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) Michael Landl argued that a ban on flavoured vapes could encourage thousands of former smokers to return to traditional cigarettes.
According to Vaping Post, he argued: "Banning flavours could force thousands of former smokers in Sweden to take up the habit once again. Research shows vapers are more than twice as likely to quit with flavours. If they are banned, 150.000 vapers – the equivalent of almost the entire population of Uppsala – would lose their flavours and could go back to smoking. This would be a major setback in the fight against smoking and its related illnesses.”
Current EU laws require e-cigarettes makers to advise consumers they contain nicotine and should not be used by non-smokers. Packaging must also include a list of ingredients as well as information on adverse effects, risk groups, addictiveness and toxicity.
The proposal from the European Commission will now undergo scrutiny by the Council and the European Parliament, before entering into force 20 days after the publication in the Official Journal.
Once the proposal has been entered, Member States will have eight months to establish the ruling into their own law, with provisions starting to apply after an additional three months of transition.
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