{"id":23456,"date":"2025-03-13T10:35:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T10:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/?p=23456"},"modified":"2025-03-13T10:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T10:35:20","slug":"bulgarias-proposed-vape-laws-will-harm-fight-against-smoking-warns-global-health-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/post\/bulgarias-proposed-vape-laws-will-harm-fight-against-smoking-warns-global-health-body\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulgaria\u2019s proposed vape laws will harm fight against smoking, warns global health body"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bulgaria\u2019s proposed regulations on vapes and other nicotine alternatives are a \u201csignificant backward step\u201d in Europe\u2019s fight against smoking, a global health body has warned.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smoke-Free Sweden says that if made law, the \u201cshort-sighted measures\u201d will deprive adult smokers of crucial tools to help them quit the deadly habit, which kills eight million people every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese proposed restrictions in Bulgaria represent a significant step backward in tobacco harm reduction efforts across Europe,\u201d said harm reduction expert Dr. Delon Human. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cYouth protection must remain our top priority, which is why we advocate for stringent access controls rather than complete prohibition of products that provide adult smokers with effective pathways to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Bulgaria had originally moved to completely ban vapes and other nicotine alternatives, with a proposed Bill passing its first reading in parliament with unanimous votes in favour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, Professor Kostadin Angelov, leader of the ruling GERB-SDF MP and Chairman of the Health Committee, announced a change to the wording<\/a> to include a ban only on disposable vapes. The backstep was said to be driven by regulatory red tape, as a complete ban would take longer to enforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Angelov emphasised that a total ban is not off the cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advantages of smoke-free alternatives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Smoke Free Sweden argues that the proposed legislation fails to recognise the important role disposable vapes and other smoke-free alternatives play in helping smokers quit their habit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group sets out three key advantages that make them particularly effective for smoking cessation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility:<\/strong> Disposable vapes provide a low-cost entry point with minimal upfront investment, making them accessible to smokers from all socioeconomic backgrounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of use:<\/strong> Their simple design eliminates technical barriers that often discourage older smokers or those less comfortable with technology<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effectiveness:<\/strong> They deliver nicotine in a manner competitive with cigarettes, helping to satisfy cravings without the harmful combustion process<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Human added: \u201cSmoke-free nicotine products are proven to be 95 per cent less harmful than combustible cigarettes and have demonstrated remarkable success in countries that embrace harm reduction approaches such as Sweden, the UK and New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cEvery adult smoker who switches to these alternatives significantly reduces their risk of developing smoking-related diseases, potentially saving millions of lives globally as adoption continues to grow.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDisposable vaping products have an important part to play in this public health revolution by serving as vital harm reduction tools for vulnerable populations, including those with lower incomes who may be disproportionately affected by smoking-related diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmoke Free Sweden urges Bulgarian lawmakers to reconsider these proposals and instead adopt evidence-based regulations that both protect youth and preserve adult access to potentially life-saving alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year Sweden became the first country in the world to officially be declared \u201csmoke free\u201d by the World Health Organisation, which means it has a smoking rate of under five per cent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bulgaria\u2019s proposed regulations on vapes and other nicotine alternatives are a \u201csignificant backward step\u201d in Europe\u2019s fight against smoking, a global health body has warned.\u00a0 Smoke-Free Sweden says that if made law, the \u201cshort-sighted measures\u201d will deprive adult smokers of crucial tools…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":990002,"featured_media":23457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[334,342,186,333],"slider":[],"class_list":["post-23456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-global","tag-new-zealand","tag-nicotine","tag-sweden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/990002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23463,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23456\/revisions\/23463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23456"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearingtheair.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=23456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}