New e-cigarettes shaped like cartoon characters have caused concern in Spain, as the tobacco industry is increasingly trying to reach younger audiences with attractive flavours and designs via unevenly regulated e-cigarette products, Spain’s National Committee for Smoking Prevention warned.
Even though selling novel tobacco products to minors is prohibited, the tobacco industry is increasingly marketing electronic cigarettes to a younger audience with attractive flavours such as watermelon, vanilla, strawberry, and new modern designs with brighter colours.
The latest move: e-cigarettes shaped like cartoons and toys.
“Tobacco companies are the ones behind these products aimed at eight or nine-year-olds with flavours reminiscent of sweets,” warned the President of the National Committee for Smoking Prevention (CNPT) Andrés Zamorano.
Vaping is how young people, usually around age 14, first come in contact with cigarettes and nicotine, 20minutos reported. For e-cigarettes, the gateway age is as low as 11.
“We are very concerned about this because we see it as a gateway to addiction, into a tremendously addictive product,” Francisco Rodriguez Lozano, ex-president of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention and spokesperson of the CNPT told EURACTIV.
These e-cigarettes, which can easily be bought online, lack any public health warning or mention that sales are prohibited to minors.
Such marketing practices are allowed under Spain’s Tobacco Act because the EU Tobacco Products Directive does not equate tobacco marketing restrictions with those of novel nicotine consumption products, giving the tobacco industry leeway to be creative regarding the design packaging of e-cigarettes.
Some EU countries, like the Netherlands, have taken action and prohibited e-cigarettes with flavours, but there have yet to be any EU-level developments, reminded Rodriguez Lozano.
In Spain, the Health Ministry recently launched a public consultation to look into regulating e-cigarettes and reforming the tobacco legislation.
Among the reasons for this reform, the Ministry pointed at the “inadequacy of current regulations for the increased supply of new products” and the exposure of “particularly the young population to new forms of nicotine consumption”.
Last month, the French Health Ministry also raised the alarm on this issue, warning that “in the face of increased regulation, vape device manufacturers have become more creative in the actual design of their devices”, La Vanguardia reported.
The European Commission did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
(Max Griera | EURACTIV.com)
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