The government aims for a smoke-free society by 2040. In the meantime, the government is doing everything it can to discourage smoking as much as possible; for example, the price of a pack of cigarettes will rise to 10 euros during this cabinet term.
E-sigaret
Banning the many fruit flavors of e-cigarettes, such as strawberry ice cream, mango or mojito, also fits in with the discouragement policy. The idea behind this is that not only e-cigarettes but also regular smoking are discouraged. E-cigarettes will soon only be allowed to taste like tobacco.
There has only been a hitch with the introduction of the ban on sweet flavors, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health explains when asked.
Extra check
During that process, an extra check turned out to be necessary to see whether the flavorings that are still allowed in the future were really safe. RIVM has carried out this. “Then it turned out that 7 of the 26 flavors fell off because they be harmful to health. That extra check has therefore caused some delay. After all, manufacturers also need to know where they stand.”
The ban on the flavorings is not off the table; so it is now next year.
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To care
Nevertheless, Leon van den Toorn, of the Dutch Association of Physicians for Pulmonary Diseases and Tuberculosis, finds the delay disappointing. “The e-cigarette is still seen as something harmless. Young people think it can’t hurt that much, but we think it’s an easy step towards becoming addicted to real cigarettes.”
The e-cigarette is also increasing in popularity, says Van den Toorn. “That’s something we’re concerned about.” His call: make it as unattractive as possible. “That can be done by increasing the price, but also by not offering it as in a candy store.”
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For a time, the e-cigarette was seen as a ‘healthier’ alternative to tobacco because it lacks many of the toxic combustion products of tobacco. Esther Croes physician-epidemiologist of the Trimbos Institute states that e-cigarettes are indeed harmful. “It contains a lot of bad substances, so the sooner a ban the better.”
The sooner the better
The institute also concluded that e-cigarettes act as a ‘step-up product’ to tobacco cigarettes.
According to the institute, a ban on the flavors cannot come into effect soon enough. “In the meantime, another six months passes in which children become addicted to nicotine. The sooner the better such a ban.”
According to the Esigbond, the association of e-cigarette sellers, a ban on non-tobacco flavors in e-cigarettes is very unwise. “Flavorings appear to be necessary for a successful transition from smoking to less harmful vaping. Other risks are that e-cigarette users, if they can only buy a tobacco flavour, will fall back to smoking or add aromas themselves.”
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