The World Electronic Cigarette Alliance has stated that the European Union Commission must bear the pressure against electronic cigarettes. Last week, the EU Commission announced the registration of a European Citizens' Initiative called "Call for a Smoke-Free Environment and for the Protection of the First European Smoke-Free Generation" by 2030.
The organizers of the proposal are a Spanish public health non-governmental organization called NoFumadores, which suggests banning the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to all citizens born after 2010.
Michael Land, head of the World Vaping Alliance, stated that "this initiative highlights the widespread misinformation regarding different nicotine products. It would be unfair to take a one-size-fits-all approach to vastly different products. Almost all smoking-related harm comes from the thousands of other chemicals in tobacco smoke, not nicotine. Using alternative products such as e-cigarettes significantly reduces the risks and has been proven to be an effective method for quitting smoking." "I will do nothing and only sacrifice my life.
The World Vaping Alliance is questioning the practicality of age-based sales restrictions for e-cigarettes. They argue that such restrictions may prove ineffective in the long run, as stores would have to check identification for even 50-year-olds. This would result in the rules being ignored, thereby creating a huge black market. Both outcomes would be harmful to public health. Furthermore, intergenerational bans may be illegal in Europe as they go against the principle of equal treatment of EU citizens. Denying young people the opportunity to reduce harm from smoking is morally wrong. We should offer them every chance to quit smoking for good, rather than stigmatizing smokers.
The organizers now have six months to collect one million signatures from at least seven different member states in order to force the European Commission to respond to the proposal. Registering for the ECI is not an endorsement by the Commission. However, with the Tobacco Products Directive looming, e-cigarette users are calling on the European Commission to take a risk-based approach to each product.
The registration of this initiative indicates that the pressure on EU institutions to reduce harm is increasing, which is not a good sign for the upcoming update of the tobacco products directive. Future regulations must be based on science and the experiences of millions of consumers. Handling of products with lower harm must be different from cigarettes. Prohibition has never worked, and it won't work. It will only lead to huge unintended consequences, endangering public health. This is exactly the opposite of what we all want," added Michael Land.
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