A recent study from the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) has suggested that banning the sale of flavoured vaping products can cause higher rates of cigarette smoking among teenagers.
The findings come at an especially pertinent moment, given the intense discussion in Europe surrounding e-cigarettes and the possibility of banning flavours. The Netherlands, in particular, is planning to ban e-cigarette flavours, despite a strong public backlash – a decision which could cause far-reaching repercussions in the bloc and beyond.
An intense debate has swirled around e-cigarettes since the devices came onto the market. There has been a fair amount of fearmongering that vaping could act as a gateway to the far more dangerous pastime of smoking cigarettes. However, some studies have directly pushed back against this theory, while others have demonstrated that vaping can be an effective means of kicking a smoking habit and could therefore be an important tool for reducing smokers’ risk of health problems.
Dutch decision runs counter to the science
The question of flavoured vapes is currently nowhere more hotly contested than in the Netherlands.
European Scientist – 2021-06-21.
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