Greece is preparing a bill to ban all flavoured e-cigarettes and alternative tobacco products, aiming to make their sale out-of-reach for Greek teenagers.
Under the draft law, flavours like biscuit, chocolate, watermelon, fruit and even whiskey, which are particularly popular among both teenagers and adults, would be pulled off the market, with only tobacco and mint flavours spared.
The e-cigarette sector in Greece employs about 10,000 people, including 2,000 specialized retailers.
The bill has been introduced by the Ministry of Health and is in the final stages of public consultation. It aligns with the European Union’s recommendations on the sale of electronic cigarettes while seven EU countries so far have imposed a ban on flavours -Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Hungary.
The bill will put a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol and all tobacco products to minors while selling alcohol to minors will be re-classsified under the penal law to a misdemeanor.
The political case for tougher action in Greece on making it stricter for teens to access alcohol and tobacco products has been growing, following incidents of teenagers fainting after consuming excessive alcohol.
Analysts in Athens say that the bill is a move to the right direction, largely due to its broader crackdown on underage access to alcohol and tobacco products, because it would, for example, give authorities the power to shut down shops or clubs caught selling tobacco or alcohol to minors.
Meanwhile, the association of traders of vaping products, warned in a letter to the government that a total ban would result in 400,000 vape users switching to the “uncontrollable” black market.
Ban on flavoured e-cigarettes aims to curb booming use of tobacco products among teenagers
The use of electronic cigarettes among Greek teenagers has surged in recent years, raising serious public health concerns.
Vaping has evolved from a smoking cessation tool for adults into a trendy habit among youngsters, luring them with colorful designs and sweet flavors while delivering addictive nicotine.
A nationwide study conducted in 2022 by the University Mental Health Research Institute revealed a sharp increase in youth vaping, with experimentation rates rising from 16.6 percent in 2014 to 36.7 percent in 2018.
Moreover, the study, which surveyed 6,250 students, found 38.6 percent of 10th-graders in Greece had tried an e-cigarette, with 25.1 percent using one more than three times. Alarmingly, 10.8 percent had vaped multiple times within the past 10 days, indicating potential addiction.
Two-thirds of student vapers had also tried traditional cigarettes, with 28.2 percent of 10th-graders saying they had smoked a cigarette and 7.8 percent reporting daily use.
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