regulering smaakjes e-sigaret

Reactie

Vraag1

The proposed changes will harm current smokers, for whom flavours are very helpful in switching from combustible cigarettes; this will have knock-on effects on youth smoking since children of smoking parents are up to 3x more likely to become smokers than those of non- or ex-smoking parents. The main beneficiaries of such a ban will be the cigarette companies.
The proposed flavour ban is based largely on 2 interpretations of the data: 1) that flavours are a key factor in youth experimentation with vaping; & 2) acceptance of the "gateway" theory ie youth experimentation with vaping CAUSES increased likelihood of smoking.
A more appropriate conclusion from the evidence base is that: 1) curiosity is a more important driver of experimentation with e-cigs than flavours; and 2) the "common liability" hypothesis is a much more likely explanation for why youth who experiment with vaping are more likely to smoke. This is supported by the lack of slowing in the rate of decline of youth smoking prevalence across several countries in recent years.
It is much more appropriate to limit youth uptake of vaping by focusing on flavour descriptors and packaging, as well as strict enforcement of underage selling rules.
The UK provides a useful model of a country that embraces vaping as a smoking cessation tool for adult smokers and allows many flavours of e-liquid on the market. The June 2019 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey of e-cigarette use among young people found:
- Of young people aged 11-18 years old who have never smoked, 5.5% have ever tried e-cigs, 0.8% are current vapers, only 0.1% vape more than once a week, and not a single never smoker reported vaping daily.
- Of young people who had used an e-cig but never smoked (ie those theoretically susceptible to a gateway into smoking), 70.6% said they used it "just to give it a try" vs. just 10.2% who said they "liked the flavours" and 10.6% who said "other people use them so I just join in"
- In 2019, 48.7% of those who had tried e-cigs had tried a smoking beforehand, while 18.4% had tried an e-cig before smoking and 27.8% had never smoked
Meanwhile, in terms of youth smoking prevalence:
- among 16-18 yr olds in England it fell from 17% in 2010 to 12% in 2018
- The most rapid rate of decline in since 2010 has been among 18-24 yr olds, falling from 25.8% in 2010 to 17.8% in 2017.
If the gateway theory were correct and a significant problem, these reductions would not have occurred.