The UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) commissioned a survey of 2000 adults who vape.
All sorts of fear mongering about flavours in vapes is circulating again, they are even banned in some countries!
I tried Tobacco Flavour e-liquid in around 2012 – when all you could get was Tobacco or Menthol at £9.99 a bottle – and hated it. In fact it put me off vaping for around 3 or 4 years!
I finally gave up smoking with Bubblegum Nic Salt e-liquid in 2019 and am still off the ciggies now with the same flavour – I am 47 by the way!
UKVIA Survey
The results of the survey showed that…
- 1 in 3 vapers fear a ban on flavours will lead them back to smoking – approximately 1.5M people!
- 83% of vapers claim that flavours helped them quit smoking.
John Dunne the Director General of the UKVIA said…
“The research shows there is a reliance on vapes to help smokers quit – and flavours have a role to play. While we are supportive of attempts to eradicate youth smoking, having a ban on flavours could have a negative impact on those who are attempting to quit. Often with these types of policies trying to stamp out one problem can cause another, and it shows many adult vapers are concerned about what they are hearing from the Government.
“The survey has shown many fear such a change could lead them back to smoking, meaning nearly 1.5 million current vapers across the UK could return to conventional cigarettes, based on the number of adult vape users (4.3m) reported by the Office of National Statistics last year”.
The survey also showed the most popular vape flavours would be the ones targeted in a ban. Strawberry came number 1 in the poll with other fruity flavours following.
John Dunne also said…
“It is important to offer those who are trying to quit smoking the appropriate advice, including flavours, to support them during the process. We know that going cold turkey is not an option for many, and it shows a considerable amount are having success with flavoured vapes to help reduce, and ultimately cut out, their reliance on cigarettes.”
Reporting
The mainstream media have also picked up on this story with various outcomes…
Daily Express
This is covered in the Daily Express with the headline “A third of vapers could return to cigarettes – if government bans fruity vape flavours“.
Daily Mirror
The headline from the Daily Mirror is “Former smokers fear returning to old habit – if Government bans fruity vape flavours“.
Surprisingly for the Mirror this is all positive stuff, even quoting John Dunne.
The Sun
The Sun takes a different angle with their article “STUB IT OUT – One in 3 vapers fear Government ban on e-cigarettes but 27% call for crackdown in kids“.
This is a mixed take with plenty of anti-vaping sentiment but also a bit sympathetic to vapers. It reports how the survey responders felt the need to tackle youth vaping – 27% in fact. Also 37% felt that more effective enforcement was needed to tackle retailers who are selling them illegally to those under age.
The UKVIA are campaigning for better regulation and presented a plan to the Government to help tackle the problem – read for yourself here – “Vaping Industry Calls for Tougher Curbs on Underage Vaping Including £10,000 Fine For Rogue Retailers“.
Responses
Nearly 1.5 million former smokers, who have switched to vaping, fear they could return to their old habit – if the Government goes through with a ban on flavoured vape devices and liquids. https://t.co/qLM898YYnF
— Dimitris 🇬🇷 🇺🇸 (@VapinGreek) April 6, 2023
— Dr Colin Mendelsohn (@ColinMendelsohn) April 6, 2023
Yes it should be obvious, and its tiresome to keep having to point it out to idiots, but polling confirms flavours are very important to adult vapers. https://t.co/nFR2rOEqmu
— Martin C (@NannyFreeState) April 6, 2023
