One in five vapers quit e-cigarettes after flavor ban

The Netherlands’ ban on flavored e-cigarettes and vapes seems to be having an effect, according to a first evaluation by the health institute RIVM. Vaping has declined significantly among Dutch vapers, and one in five have completely quit since the ban took effect.

The RIVM surveyed over 500 adolescents and young adults and more than 450 adults about their vaping. 40 percent said that they have reduced their use of e-cigarettes due to the ban, which took effect last year. 22 percent said they stopped vaping altogether. “There were no significant differences between the various groups studied,” the RIVM said.

Daily use of vapes decreased from 29 to 18 percent in these age groups. Weekly use dropped from 30 to 14 percent, and monthly use from 42 to 16 percent.

Most consumers who stopped vaping did not look for substitutes, such as buying flavors via the illegal market or switching to more harmful products. Those who did opt for illegal flavors mainly sourced them from physical stores in Germany, the RIVM found.

The public health institute, therefore, advocates for a European Union-wide ban on flavored vapes, saying it “would increase the effectiveness of the ban, also because it would make cross-border purchases more difficult.”