The EU’s executive body has proposed a ban on the sale of flavored heated tobacco products, including some vaping products, as part of a plan to fight cancer.
The European Commission said in a statement that its proposal was made in response to a significant increase in the volume of such products sold across the 27-nation bloc.
A recent study by the commission found that sales of hot-dried tobacco products in more than five member countries increased by 10 percent.
The ban will not cover all vaping devices, only those that dispense heated tobacco. Many e-cigarettes contain only liquid and nicotine.
Stella Kyriakides, food safety and health commissioner, said: “By removing flavored tobacco from the market, we are taking one more step towards realizing our vision. under the European Beat Cancer Plan to create a ‘No Tobacco Generation’ with less than 5% of the population using tobacco by 2040.”
“With nine out of ten lung cancers caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unappealing as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives.
“Stronger actions to reduce tobacco consumption, stricter enforcement and catching up with new developments to tackle the endless influx of new products into the market – especially important to protect young people age – is the key to this.
“Prevention is always better than cure.”
Philip Morris International has the largest share of the hot tobacco market, according to the University of Bath.
According to EU data, cancer is the second leading cause of death in a bloc of 450 million residents. There are about 1.3 million cancer deaths and 3.5 million new cases each year in the EU.
An estimated 40% of EU citizens will face cancer at some point in their lives, with an estimated annual economic impact of around 100 billion euros (£87 billion).
The proposal has now been forwarded to member states and European Parliament legislators for consideration.
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Last week’s vaping company Juul Labs Inc banned from selling e-cigarettes in the US after it was found to have played a “disproportionate role in the rise of youth vaping”.
The ruling was made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the company submitted scientific and health data related to its nicotine products for review.
The data, collected over nearly two years, showed “lack of sufficient evidence” that Juul’s products provided a net
beneficial to public health.
