WHO urges governments to ban tobacco flavours to protect youth

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments to urgently ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, pouches, hookahs and e-cigarettes, to protect youth from addiction and disease.

In marking World No Tobacco Day over the weekend, WHO said flavours like menthol, bubble gum and cotton candy are masking the harshness of tobacco and nicotine products, turning toxic products into youth-friendly bait. 

Flavours not only make it harder to quit but have also been linked to serious lung diseases. Cigarettes, which still kill up to half of their users, also come in flavours or can have flavours added to them, WHO said.

“Flavours are fuelling a new wave of addiction, and should be banned. 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,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The newly launched WHO publication, Flavour accessories in tobacco products enhance attractiveness and appeal, reveals how flavours and accessories like capsule filters and click-on drops are marketed to bypass regulations and hook new users.

Currently over 50 countries ban flavoured tobacco; more than 40 countries ban e-cigarette sales; 5 specifically ban disposables and 7 ban e-cigarette flavours; and flavour accessories remain largely unregulated.

Countries such as Belgium, Denmark, and Lithuania are taking action, and WHO urged others to follow suit.

Flavours are a leading reason why young people try tobacco and nicotine products, according to WHO. Paired with flashy packaging and social media-driven marketing, they’ve increased the appeal of nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, and disposable vapes into addictive and harmful products, which aggressively target young people.

“We are watching a generation get hooked on nicotine through gummy bear-flavoured pouches and rainbow-coloured vapes,” said WHO Director of Health Promotion Dr Rüdiger Krech. “This isn’t innovation, it’s manipulation. And we must stop it.”

The WHO reports around 8 million tobacco-related deaths each year.

Cape Times