Timely Flavoured Vapes Survey

• More than 95% of surveyed stop smoking services offer vapes as a quitting tool for adult smokers
• Almost 70% record fruit options as, or amongst, the most popular choice for smokers
• Vapes obtained through the government’s swap-to-stop scheme include fruit, mint/menthol, dessert and tobacco options
• Quit attempts involving vapes were more successful than those which didn’t amongst the majority of surveyed stop smoking services
• Research comes as the British Medical Association calls for a ban on all non-tobacco vape flavours.

A new investigation has reinforced the instrumental role of flavoured vaping products in securing a smokefree future, just one day after the British Medical Association called for a total ban on all non-tobacco flavoured vapes.

Of the 31 respondents, more than 95% directly offer, or provide vouchers for, vaping products as a tool to help adult smokers kick the habit - of these:

• 100% provided flavoured products – including fruit, mint/menthol, tobacco and dessert options
• More than 44% recorded fruit options as the most popular amongst smokers or most often given out
• 24% recorded fruit options – alongside tobacco and/or mint and menthol – as the shared most popular or most often given out
• One was explicitly described as ‘vape-friendly’

It was also found that more than two thirds of the stop smoking services have provided flavoured vaping products – including fruit, menthol and dessert options - obtained through the government’s swap-to-stop scheme.

The BMA says it’s counterproductive flavour ban proposal – which was put forward as part of a larger report on vape regulation in the UK - would help tackle the ‘growing epidemic of vape use in the UK, but the industry and consumers warn it will sooner supercharge the smoking epidemic by blocking adult smokers from making the switch and driving current vapers either to the black market or back to deadly cigarettes.

The Royal College of Physicians has previously warned against the wholesale limiting of vape flavours, saying they are an ‘integral part of the effectiveness of vaping as a quit aid’

The Royal College of Physicians, another respected medical institution, has previously warned against the wholesale limiting of vape flavours, saying they are an ‘integral part of the effectiveness of vaping as a quit aid’.

The results of the FOI research also come as Labour revives the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which, if enacted, would give the Health Secretary unprecedented powers to make sweeping changes to regulations around vape displays, packaging and flavours without further consultation.

John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, said: “We recognise and share the desire to put a stop to youth vaping, however, banning all non-tobacco flavours is a completely misguided, dangerous and deluded approach which will hurt smokers, vapers and legitimate retailers while lining the pockets of rogue businesses.

“Instead, we need to introduce regulation which outlaws youth-appealing flavour names and descriptors; optimise the MHRA notification process to prevent inappropriate products from ever making it to the shelves; and introduce an industry-funded, first-of-its-kind vape retailer and distributor licensing scheme which could empower trading standards through £50 million plus in annual self-sustaining funding and would bring into play much harsher penalties for businesses caught flouting the law.

“The BMA has either failed to consider or completely ignored the impact this recommendation will have on smokers and vapers, as well as the growing library of evidence which shows flavours are vital to the power of vaping as a quitting tool – including new research from Action on Smoking and Health UK which found fruit flavours are the most popular amongst adult vapers, while just 16% say they prefer tobacco options.”

He continued: “Vaping represents an immense opportunity to prevent millions of unnecessary deaths, save the NHS hundreds of millions and help get the smokefree ambition back on track, but only if we put to bed these ludicrous calls for flavour bans and take a careful approach which balances the stop smoking power of vaping with the need to protect young people from accessing this age-gated product. We hope the BMA, and regulators, recognise the failings of this proposal and take the findings of our investigation as a taste of the truth about vape flavours.”

The UKVIA FOI research also found more than half of the stop smoking services to provide vaping products reported the quitting success rate was higher in attempts that involved vapes than those which didn’t – this and other key findings are available to view in the accompanying infographic: Use of vape flavours in stop smoking services - Infographic.pdf

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave 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.