The Case for Flavours
Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos has been exceptionally active in making the case for flavours in tobacco harm reduction to save lives including releasing a comprehensive document
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by Dave Cross
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Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos’ report on vaping flavours, titled “The case for flavours in tobacco harm reduction to save lives”, examines the science, consumer insights, risks and regulatory considerations relating to vaping flavours. The review concludes that restrictions on vaping flavours would risk seriously reducing the life-saving potential of these innovative products.
Dr Farsalinos recently took part in a webinar to promote his flavours report and featured Dr Delon Human, Dr Kgosi Letlape, Professor Heino Stöver and Charles Gardner.
The webinar: https://youtu.be/BwlJVEBk1o8
Farsalinos examined over 340 publications looking at eliquid flavours. He came to the obvious conclusion that flavoured juices are “inextricably linked” to smokers quitting tobacco use. His findings led him to conclude that flavoured e-liquids should be affordable and accessible to all adult smokers.
He is quoted as saying: “Well-regulated use of flavours can and should be considered as a valuable tool to help prevent disease and save the lives of adult smokers who cannot or will not quit by themselves or with other approved methods.
“We’re at a crossroads where policymakers are about to turn away from the evidence showing flavours help smokers transition to products that carry only a fraction of the risk of combustible cigarettes, thereby preventing disease and saving lives. If bans were allowed, it would ultimately drive consumers to tampering, illicitly traded products, towards the black market, or back to traditional cigarettes.”
Farsalinos argues that flavourings play a vital role in traditional nicotine replacement products in order to maximise their efficiency at helping smokers to quit. Indeed, flavoured nicotine gums and other products are numbered on the WHO’s Essential Medicines list.
He is incredulous that flavours are accepted as viable in NRT products but deemed to be something bad when used in vape products.
The report points to the scaremongering and “methodologically flawed” studies that are used to attack flavoured e-liquids.
“There is mounting evidence that nicotine vaping products are significantly less harmful than combusted tobacco and provide a viable escape route for smokers who want to quit but can’t.”
Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos’ report is available for download from the link below.
References:
- The Case for Flavours in Tobacco Harm Reduction, to Save Lives - https://tobaccoharmreduction.net/en/updates
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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