Calls from eight EU countries for a ban on flavourings, a cap on nicotine levels and a halt to new nicotine products are facing fierce criticism. The Swedish Snus Users’ Association is calling on Sweden to take action, whilst doctor and researcher Konstantinos Farsalinos warns that the proposals could favour cigarettes at the expense of less harmful alternatives.
Eight EU countries want to significantly tighten the rules on e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and other nicotine products. In a joint letter to the European Commission, the countries” health ministers are calling for, amongst other things, an EU-wide ban on flavourings, nicotine limits and a ”freeze’ on the market to prevent entirely new nicotine products from being launched.
France wants to tighten the rules on how much tobacco private individuals are allowed to carry between EU countries. This is according to Euractiv, citing diplomats with insight into the negotiations on the EU’s new tobacco taxes. The Swedish Snus Users’ Association is now warning of the consequences for Swedish snus users, Swedish snus production and cross-border trade with Finland.
An increasing number of smokers believe that e-cigarettes are just as harmful as ordinary cigarettes. In the UK, the proportion of people holding this view has more than doubled in ten years. Now, both British public health experts and the authors behind *The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction* are highlighting how research on risks is presented and has an impact in the media.
E-cigarettes containing nicotine help more smokers to quit than traditional nicotine replacement therapies. This is the conclusion reached by the global research organisation Cochrane in yet another update to its ongoing systematic review.
At the same time, the findings are beginning to have a greater impact beyond the world of research.
