The Czech Republic is set to ban all flavoured vapes - and add a tax to make them more expensive.
The country’s health ministry is drafting an amendment to a decree that would prohibit all flavoured vapes except tobacco, as well as sweeteners and other additives in e-liquids that affect their taste. The ban would take effect from next year.
Vape industry leaders say the move could lead to the collapse of the sector and stop many smokers from being able to kick the far more dangerous habit, which kills eight million people globally per year.
Flavoured vapes help smokers quit
A recent study, published in the Oxford Academic journal, showed that people who use non-tobacco flavoured vapes are more likely to successfully quit smoking than those who use tobacco flavour. The new rules will also now make tobacco flavoured vapes on sale in the Czech Republic less palatable.
“We are stunned,” said Robert Hrdlička, chairman of the Chamber of Electronic Vaping (KEVAP). “Without any prior consultation, the ministry is essentially planning to ban e-cigarettes in the Czech Republic.”
Mr Hrdlička said that without the now-banned ingredients, tobacco-flavoured e-liquids would be unsellable. “The ministry is imposing an amateurish and uninformed view on what tobacco should taste like,” he said.
Tax hike for vapes
In addition, a new excise tax on vapes is set to take effect this month, with further increases planned in the coming years. Mr Hrdlička said the step is a sharp u-turn on the government encouraging the use of vapes by smokers wanting to quit.
He said: “The government’s approach is entirely illogical. First, they encourage e-cigarettes as a tool to reduce smoking, and now they’re essentially banning them.”
A boost to the black market
Smoking cessation experts warn that such a ban would push ex-smokers back to conventional cigarettes or encourage smuggling of unsafe e-liquids from abroad. In Australia, a ban on the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies has led to a booming black market that authorities are struggling to control.
Currently, around 11 per cent of the Czech population, approximately one million people, use vapes.
“E-cigarettes are among the least risky alternatives to smoking, as confirmed by numerous studies and experts,” Mr Hrdlička said. “It is completely irrational for the state to target one category while ignoring the rest.”
Mr Hrdlička said that instead of an outright ban on flavours, the government should focus on restricting access to vapes for minors.
In a similar move in the UK, the government is considering amendments to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that would ban flavoured vapes. The British Medical Council has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to outlaw all flavours except tobacco in a bid to reduce the appeal of vapes to young people.
