The Case for Flavours
With flavours coming under threat across Europe and in the UK, Planet of the Vapes looks at Dr Farsalinos’ outstanding report on the vape related issue
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by Dave Cross
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Eliquid flavours are under attack as never before. Countries that have banned or restricted them are held up as examples of excellence. Meanwhile the European Union looks set to align itself with the World Health Organization’s position and implement a complete ban. Here in the UK, although not explicit, the power to restrict flavours formed a part of the last Tobacco and Vapes Bill and could also feature in the new Bill. It is appropriate to consider Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos’ The Case For Flavours In Tobacco Harm Reduction To Save Lives report.
The main purpose of vaping is to offer an alternative to smokers who have struggled to quit tobacco use through traditional means – this was the motivation of Hon Lik, the Chinese pharmacist who is credited with inventing the electronic cigarette following the death of his father from lung cancer.
Experts believe the reason vaping took off and worked so well in helping millions of former smokers to quit was down to the user experience and the customisability; whatever it was you needed, your vape could be tailored to suit you through nicotine strength, the draw experience, the flavour – even the shape of the mouthpiece.
Not only has research shown us that flavours help quitters quit, it has also painted a clear picture of what happens when flavour options are removed: vaping rates do decrease, but smoking rates increase.
“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. However, it is of particular concern that several governments and authorities are targeting flavours as a public health hazard without considering the potential benefits of flavour availability in harm reduction products, particularly vaping products,” Dr Farsalinos writes.
The document Dr Farsalinos produced is an excellent multidimensional review, examining the science, consumer insights, risks, and regulatory considerations related to the use of flavours in vape juices.
In the free-to-download report, Konstantinos Farsalinos looks at the flavours used, how they impact smoking cessation, the science behind the flavours, the public health dimension of their use, the consumer aspect, and the unintended consequences of flavour bans.
At the end of the report, Dr Farsalinos presents seven recommendations covering the need for smoking cessation, understanding consumers, increasing the knowledge base through research, improving the knowledge of professionals, avoiding youth take-up, and the need for advocacy.
Reference
- Dr Farsalinos’ The Case For Flavours In Tobacco Harm Reduction To Save Lives report - https://www.tobaccoharmreduction.net/article/flavours-in-tobacco-harm-reduction-latest-research-2023
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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