Banning flavours for vapers ? Bad idea !

Introduction

Based on the idea that mentholated, sweet or even fruity flavours are attracting young people, in the United States, some states and cities have decided to ban rather than regulate them. The same goes for the Dutch Institute of Public Health, which has just published a project in that way. Why ? To protect young people, which makes sense. However, they’ve overlooked the fact that bans have consequences, many of them serious.

Here we explain why flavours are important when vaping and the consequences of such bans.

Enjoy !

Why are flavours so important ?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, choosing your e-liquid flavour is an important element when vaping. It’s just as important as the nicotine level or having the right equipment !

A study published in ScienceDirect's Addictive Behaviors in December 2019 addressed this issue :

1,492 electronic cigarette users aged 18 and older completed an online survey. The results showed that not only did 62.9% of the electronic cigarette users used flavoured e-liquids (fruit, mint, sweet, candy, coffee, etc.), but also that this was the main reason why they had tried it and kept using it. Their satisfaction was greater with flavoured e-liquids than with neutral ones.

Bans on flavours : foreseeable consequences

Tobacco-free flavours help to dissociate smokers from the taste of tobacco and thus reduce the risk of relapse. Banning or restricting flavours will have a disastrous effect on smoking cessation, by removing from the market products responsible for important reductions in smoking prevalence.

A predicted drop in the number of vapers
The NNA (New Nicotine Alliance) and other experts met at the GFN (Global Forum on Nicotine) in 2019. NNA President Martin Cullip
said : “Electronic cigarettes are a safer alternative to tobacco. There are 1.7 million former smokers in the UK who have switched exclusively to vaping. Flavours have been the key for this success, encouraging them to change, with a wide choice to suit their preferences.”

Vaping works because it acts as a nicotine substitute. In fact, it’s considered to be twice more effective than other substitutes. But it’s also the only way to stop smoking while keeping the notion of pleasure !
By finding the flavour that works best, a vaper will have a better chance of quitting smoking for good.

Restricting access to flavoured products would therefore likely reduce the number of smokers who switch to vaping, as well as the motivation of vapers not to switch back to traditional cigarettes.

An increase in the consumption of tobacco products

Let's take San Francisco as an example. Beginning of 2019, the city banned nicotine liquids other than tobacco-flavoured liquids. A study published in June 2020 in Addictive Behavior Reports shows that among 18-24 year olds, 27.4% reported smoking in December 2018, i.e. before the ban, compared to 37.1% in November 2019. A relative increase of 35% ! Even if no significant change was found in the 25-34 year olds, a drop in vapers of 20% was noticed in both groups.

For the exclusive vapers of the survey, 19% reported switching to a tobacco product, while 20.7% stopped all consumption and 60.3% continued vaping. For vapers that still smoke, 30.9% switched to another tobacco product, 3.7% quit and 65.4% maintained their usual consumption.

Figures confirming that when they are deprived of the e-liquids they enjoy, vapers may turn to tobacco products.

Black market outbreak

A ban does not make a product disappear but leads to an illicit market with dangers.
As the Filter site points out, the black market quickly became organised as soon as the first bans were imposed in American cities. The United States have learned nothing from the tens of deaths that occurred last year due to the sale of adulterated products on the black market ?

Let’s remember that the vaping black market is an open door to all abuses. There are well-meaning people who can no longer legally help smokers to quit. But also, unscrupulous people showing little concern for the health of consumers, seeing just an opportunity to fill their pockets.

Imagine being forced to buy your nicotine products in a dark alleyway or on the passenger seat of a car... what guarantee would you have about the products you bought ?

This is indeed a missed opportunity for some authorities who could control this market properly and show concern for the health of the consumer. But it's also a godsend for tobacco companies who are seeing their customer increase (and who largely financially support some American cities... but shhh, don't tell anyone !).

Conclusion

Studies show that flavours are the main reason that motivate smokers to switch and stick to vaping. Not only do they provide a playful side, but they also keep the notion of pleasure.
Banning or limiting the choice of flavourings could have an adverse effect on public health. Indeed, smokers would potentially be less motivated to turn to this effective means of smoking cessation. In addition, vapers would get less satisfaction from it and would therefore be tempted to go back to smoking.
Another direct consequence is the development of a black market, which we know from experience can be extremely dangerous to our health.

Thanks for reading.

The Sweetch Team