Tobacco Asia

24 tobaccoasia Issue 5, 2023 September / October pointed out correctly. "The e-cigarette is an alter- native for adult smokers to achieve tobacco cessa- tion… while countries' youth protection acts pro- hibit the sale of e-cigarettes to young people. Any retailer who disregards these regulations is liable to prosecution." But, therein lies the rub. Youth protection laws are often not enforced vigilantly enough – or penalties for offenders are so ridiculously lenient that the deterrent effect is almost nil. To illustrate that, Dahlmann offered a real-life example from the recent past: "A retailer in northern Germany who was proven to have sold e-cigarettes to young people only received a warning and was 'threat- ened' with a fine of €75." Educating those who make our laws Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for laws to be hammered out by politicians and career bureau- crats who are explicitly not experts on the subject matter at hand. Therefore, a very important part of IEVA's commitment is aimed at educating politi- cians about the importance of e-flavors for adult users. The whole debate about vaping should be focusing on scientific facts, and almost all scientif- ic studies have shown that vaping is far less harm- ful than smoking, argued Dahlmann. "Political decision makers need to know the harm reduction facts and the potential of [vapes] for [improving] public health in order to enable differentiated regulation," he said. Historically, blanket prohibitions have rarely worked; and vap- ing bans are no different. Whether it's alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or vapes, the main drivers why teenagers try out something they are not supposed to do are curiosity, peer pressure, family influence, "influencer" role models, social protest, stress re- lief, or all of these in one constellation or another. The young always will find a way But, if vapes or e-flavors are banned, youngsters who want to try it out will still find ways to lay their hands on them. In other words, an impos- sible-to-control black market similar to what we have seen for tobacco products is bound to de- velop. In addition, many current vapers who had previously switched from tobacco products simply will return to smoking. "All e-cigarette bans so far have had no impact on youth consumption," claimed Dustin Dahl- mann. Quite the contrary seems to be the case. "In Denmark," Dahlmann said, "the rate of youth vaping has even increased after the flavor ban, be- cause users now get their products on the illegal market." Over that entire debate about bans and prohibitions one crucial aspect is drowned out completely. "Figures show that the vast majority of e-cigarette users are adult smokers seeking an alternative to tobacco cigarettes," according to Dahlmann. "The political recognition of the po- tential of e-cigarettes and the public promotion of the product in countries such as the UK and New Zealand has contributed to a significant decline in smoking rates there in recent years." It's foolish to ban an entire product group that's supposed to bring tobacco users away from smoking and at the same time expect smoking rates to drop! That is unless nanny state lawmak- ers have already made up their minds and inten- tionally want to create "the next big demon." If that isn't an Orwellian scenario… what is? IEVA, the Independent European Vape Alliance Brussels-based IEVA is the currently only pan- European association uniting national vaping as- sociations and companies, manufacturers, and wholesalers in the vaping industry across Europe, providing members with responsible represen- tation at the European level. IEVA's founding principle is to contribute to harm reduction and public health, but also to rectify misinformation and false assumptions that often circulate among the public as well as in government organizations and NGOs. According to an IEVA statement, "e- cigarettes have a significant positive impact and should be recognized as a harm reduction tool, because vaping is not smoking." IEVA has recent- ly partnered with InterTabac, the world's largest tobacco exhibition, which for several years has increasingly dedicated exhibition space to vape products. InterTabac 2023 is projected to host the largest number of vape manufacturers and brand marketers from around the globe yet. IEVA's board at InterTabac 2022; from left to right: Ciprian Boboi, treasurer and co-founder; Dustin Dahlmann, chairman; Umberto Roccatti, vice chairman. Credit: IEVA "Figures show that the vast majority of e-cigarette users are adult smokers seeking an alternative to tobacco cigarettes." Dustin Dahlmann, IEVA

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