European Elections Could Affect Vaping

Elections in several European countries could affect support of reduced-risk nicotine products like e-cigarettes, according to Tamarind Intelligence Policy Radar research.

Governments in Europe are the most likely to officially support reduced-risk products.

According to Tamarind Intelligence, forthcoming elections in Finland, Spain, Ireland and the Czech Republic as well as elections for the European Parliament could be significant in determining the future of the products.

“Our analysis of official attitudes toward e-cigarettes and other tobacco harm reduction products shows some clear global trends,” said Tamarind Intelligence Editorial Director Barnaby Page. “For example, European countries tend to have more favorable attitudes while Asian countries tend to be much more polarized.

“However, the laws in this area can change very rapidly—sometimes because government itself changes or at other times because issues such as underage vaping or the environmental impact of disposable vapes come into the spotlight.”

Researchers expect worldwide regulation of reduced-risk products to become stricter, especially in upper-middle-income and high-income countries. Flavored products are expected to receive the most attention with countries proposing bans on the products.