Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1506051
22 tobaccoasia Issue 5, 2023 September / October By Thomas Schmid E-smoking – or rather, vaping, as it is preferably called nowadays – was originally hailed as the perfect reduced-risk solution to reduce tobacco consumption rates. As smoking prevalence statistics from around the globe suggest, it has worked to an ad- mirable degree, too. More and more tobacco smokers are switching to vapes to either quit for good or at least cut down on their expensive tobacco habit. But, in a world dominated by zealously regulation-happy authorities, vaping also is becoming subject to increasingly restrictive laws, some of them quite drastic. Restrictions and bans everywhere For example, while reportedly designed to protect teenagers from picking up vaping, bans on certain e-flavors in some European countries and the US are of course not only affecting youngsters but responsible adult consumers as well, denying them their right of choice. China relatively recently banned fruity e-flavors domestically – while still allowing their manufacture for export. Australia is contemplating a new set of legislation that will outlaw recreational vaping altogether. If passed into law, vaping de- vices and e-liquids can then only be bought from pharmacies against medical prescrip- tion. Additionally, flavors and other ingredients, including the nicotine content, will be restricted to "increase the minimum quality standards" for vapes. Malaysia, Hungary, Vaping – the Nanny State's Next Big Demon The reduced risk benefits of vaping are put in jeopardy by countries around the world adopting vape bans and e-flavor restrictions. IEVA chairman, Dustin Dahlmann. Credit: IEVA ". research…shows that many vapers return to [tobacco] smoking as a result [of flavor bans on vapes], or they purchase their favorite flavors illegally in the unregulated black market." Dustin Dahlmann, IEVA