BECA or how to stop smokers from switching to vaping !

Introduction

The European Parliament's Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECa) adopted on December 9, 2021, its final proposals regarding measures to intensify the fight against cancer in the European Union.

One amendment of this Cancer Plan is particularly interesting to the vaping world. It's the prohibition of flavoured e-liquids in electronic cigarettes that may be considered appealing to minors and non-smokers.

Between the e-cigarette critics who wanted a total ban on flavourings in e-liquids, apart from tobacco aromas, and those who consider that the electronic cigarette is less harmful than tobacco and, above all, a key tool in smoking cessation, a compromise was reached from the German MEP, Peter Liese. He believes that vaping is less harmful than smoking and that it’s important not to discourage smoking cessation by banning all flavours. He is, however, in favour to ban flavours that he considers appealing to children such as Bubble Gum.

Is the Special Commission overstepping its authority ?

It’s worth mentioning that the sale of vaping products is already illegal for minors in Europe and that this is, therefore, a non-issue. Furthermore, it seems inappropriate for a Parliamentary Committee, in the context of a public health project, to try and make up for the possible failings of Member States in terms of compliance with the regulations on vaping products sales to minors. This is not its job.

An important question remains : How do we determine what a child-appealing flavour might be ? Will we limit ourselves to candy flavours ? Perhaps extend to dessert flavoured e-liquids such as pastries ? Or even prohibit all flavours that are more or less sweet. It' s no secret that children are naturally attracted to sugar !

After this screening, what will be left ? Well, the tobacco flavour, the one that smokers, vaping-smokers or vapers want to get away from as part of their smoking cessation. A perfect example of ideological logic !

If we consider that in Europe more than 2/3 of vapers do not use tobacco flavouring in their electronic cigarette, this leaves many concerned by this article of the Cancer Plan.

Indeed, smokers who turn to electronic cigarettes to quit smoking do so, mainly, thanks to these flavours which gradually distance them from the taste of tobacco. Imposing only tobacco flavour in e-cigarettes is to take the risk of discouraging potential future vapers, or even causing convinced vapers to go back to smoking.

Why should quitting smoking be a punishment ?

If it seems obvious to everyone to fight against smoking to reduce the number of tobacco-related cancers, why attack the most effective tool to reach this goal ? This Cancer Plan, if adopted, risks having the opposite effect of the one desired and, in the end, will only maintain the number of preventable tobacco-related cancers.

Will this be a first step towards a future complete ban on flavours in e-liquids, a step already taken in Europe by countries such as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic ? Have these countries seen a decline in the number of smokers ? Not really, and, some vapers have resorted to buying e-liquids on uncontrolled parallel markets, with all the health risks that this can entail. 

If this Cancer Plan is adopted as is by the European Parliament in early 2022, it will serve as a future reference for national regulations in European countries, as well as for future European Directives, such as the TPD (Tobacco Products Directive). 

The future of vaping in Europe may have just been sealed with this BECA vote.