6 days ago
World Health Organization wants flavoured tobacco products banned
In light of the number of young tobacco users, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday urgently called on governments to ban flavoured tobacco and nicotine products.
The organization specifically mentioned flavours such as menthol, bubble gum and cotton candy. Such flavours turn toxic products into youth-friendly bait, the WHO wrote in a statement for World No Tobacco Day, which is on Saturday. The products are also linked to severe lung diseases, the organization added.
Flavours, stylish packaging for e-cigarettes, and advertising on social media are specifically aimed at young users, the WHO said. In 2022, 12.5% of minors in the WHO European Region, which includes 53 countries, used e-cigarettes, compared to 2% of adults.
Flavours are designed to spark curiosity among children and adolescents, encouraging them to experiment, which can lead to addiction. A ban could protect young people, the international health agency said.
'Flavours are fuelling a new wave of addiction, and should be banned,' said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.
'They undermine decades of progress in tobacco control. Without bold action, the global tobacco epidemic, already killing around 8 million people each year, will continue to be driven by addiction dressed up with appealing flavours,' he added.
Some existing bans The WHO highlighted some promising developments: flavoured tobacco products are banned in more than 50 countries, and over 40 countries have prohibited electronic cigarettes. He cited Belgium, Denmark, and Lithuania as countries that are taking action. The organization stressed that all tobacco products, including those where the tobacco is only heated, expose users to toxic and carcinogenic chemicals and should be strictly regulated. (DPA)
