Vaping industry underlines the importance of product choice
The Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) welcomed the decision of MEPs to recognize tobacco harm reduction as a tool in beating cancer; but remains concerned that the report approved today by the European Parliament leaves the door open to a flavour ban in the EU.
The Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) today voted on the amendments and the draft of the Beating Cancer report by Rapporteur Véronique Trillet-Lenoir.[1] The authors of the report identify smoking as one of the main causes of cancer and IEVA agrees that everything should be done to significantly reduce the smoking rate in Europe.
There is little scientific doubt that tobacco harm reduction is a key tool in achieving this goal.[2] Even those skeptical of tobacco harm reduction concede that vaping is many orders of magnitude less harmful than continuing to smoke. According to Public Health England (PHE), e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than tobacco and the risk of cancer drops by 99.6 percent.[3]
The reports’ compromise amendment on vaping includes the recognition of vaping as a tool to help some smokers quit smoking and the need for further research on vaping to be done in relative terms (i.e. in comparison to combustible tobacco).
The meaning of flavours
But the final text of the report also includes a mention of further assessment of flavours “particularly attractive to minors and non-smokers” and a possible ban on them in the context of the review of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).
Dustin Dahlmann, President of IEVA: “European Parliament reports like this are necessarily a compromise. IEVA notes that the variety of flavours is one of the most important reasons for smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and for vapers not to go back to smoking. A ban on flavours would eliminate one of the main advantages of the e-cigarette over the tobacco cigarette - an improved taste.”[4]
“We also see that the importance of the e-cigarette for quitting smoking is recognized and that the risks of vaping are planned to be assessed even more in relation to the risks of smoking in the future. This approach must be pursued, and not undermined by banning most products on the market today.”
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[1]Finalized compromise amendments of the Beating Cancer report Link
[2]“Letter from one hundred specialists in nicotine science, policy, and practice” 2021. Link
[3]Public Health England “Evidence review of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products 2018” Link
[4] “E-Cigarettes flavours ban in the Netherlands endangers Public Health” IEVA 2020 Link
Contacts
Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA)
President: Dustin Dahlmann
Press coordinator: Philip Drögemüller
Phone: +32 (2) 791 7759
E-Mail: p.droegemueller@eurovape.eu
Web: www.eurovape.eu
About IEVA (Independent European Vape Alliance)
IEVA (Independent European Vape Alliance)The Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) is the only pan-European association aimed at uniting national associations, companies, manufacturers and wholesalers in the vaping industry and providing them with responsible representation at the European level.
IEVA’s founding principle is to contribute to harm reduction and public health. E-cigarettes have a significant positive impact and should be recognized as a harm reduction tool because vaping is not smoking.
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Latest releases from IEVA (Independent European Vape Alliance)
Health professionals should know the vaping facts16.3.2023 13:11:22 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Brussels - 700,000 people in the EU die each year as a result of smoking and every second smoker dies 14 years prematurely. [1] Switching to vaping has helped millions of smokers worldwide to significantly reduce the harm to their health. The principle of harm reduction works, and millions more smokers could benefit from it. But for it to really change society, smokers need the facts: and that starts with healthcare professionals. Three experts from King's College London and the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have recently addressed health professionals, focusing on "myths about e-cigarettes and vaping". [2] "E-cigarettes (vapes) are currently the most popular aid used to quit smoking in England and are used by around 4.3 million adults in Great Britain, the majority of whom are ex-smokers," the authors state, emphasising that " ... vaping poses only a small fraction of the health risks of smoking and that smokers should be encouraged to use vaping products ..
World Cancer Day - Decrease smoking rates with reduced-risk alternatives3.2.2023 11:11:19 CET | Press release
19.7 percent of the EU population are daily smokers. [1] 700,000 people in the EU die each year as a result of smoking and every second smoker dies on average 14 years prematurely. [2] Smoking is the leading cause of preventable cancer, with 27 percent of all cancers attributed to tobacco. [3] The examples of Great Britain (smoking rate: 13.8 percent) and New Zealand (10.9 percent) show necessary measures that could serve as a template for European health policy. To educate smokers, the British and the New Zealand governments are increasingly using harm-reducing alternatives such as vaping. The UK government has put the harm potential of vaping at least 95 percent less than smoking. The risk of developing cancer is considered to be 99.5 percent lower for vapers than for smokers. These findings have been substantiated in multiple publications over recent years. [4] In the UK and New Zealand, smokers are strongly encouraged to switch to vaping [5] and healthcare professionals are encoura
Chinese and European e-cigarette associations sign Code for Responsible Marketing17.10.2022 15:04:14 CEST | Pressemeddelelse
Brussels - The European e-cigarette association Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) recently decided to update its Code for Responsible Marketing in order to demonstrate the responsibility of the industry when it comes to youth protection. The Chinese association China Electronic Chamber of Commerce (ECCC) now also has signed this code. This is a very good sign of responsibility. The Code for Responsible Marketing contains 14 mandatory principles. The main focus of the code is that “e-cigarette marketing should not make vaping seem appealing to minors”. [1] Dustin Dahlmann, President of IEVA: “As confident as we are that e-cigarettes have significant harm reduction potential, we also recognize that they must be marketed responsibly. The signatories therefore only address adult smokers and e-cigarette users with their advertising and marketing to inform them about the products. Youth protection is imperative for us. We are very glad that we agreed on this with our dear colleagues
Vaping facts - European awareness campaign launched26.4.2022 11:56:46 CEST | Press release
IEVA, the only pan-European vaping association, launched today a new campaign aimed at educating smokers about the harm reduction potential of vaping compared to combustible tobacco. Far too few smokers know the actual facts about e-cigarettes, making them less likely to switch to a significantly less harmful alternative.
Tobacco Harm Reduction is critical if we are to reduce smoking related disease rates worldwide5.11.2021 11:10:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Brussels - Eight million smokers worldwide die from a smoking-related disease every year. [1] Tobacco Harm Reduction is a chance for smokers to switch from an extremely harmful to a significantly less harmful alternative. [2] Unfortunately, the WHO has lost sight of this in recent years. But it is not too late to repent. It must focus on the future of millions of smokers worldwide – a future that is much brighter should they switch to vaping – rather than its own counter-productive “quit or die” dogma. The ninth conference on tobacco control of the WHO (WHO FCTC COP9) starts in Geneva next week. [3] During this important conference, measures to reduce the global smoking rate will be debated. The WHO wrote in a publication a year ago: "There is conclusive evidence that: completely substituting [vaping] for combustible tobacco cigarettes reduces users’ exposure to numerous toxicants and carcinogens present in combustible tobacco cigarettes." [4] Now it is important to put this correct as