A new paper ranking EU countries by vape friendliness has warned that some regions in the EU are moving to restrict people's exposure to vaping.
Published by Economic Affairs, the Nanny State Index tracks tight controls on lifestyle products such as alcohol, food, beverages, tobacco and e-cigarettes.
Their most recent article is on vaping, ranking EU countries according to their progress in accessing nicotine replacement products.
The intervention of the “nanny state”
The author of the article, Christopher Snowdon, outlined the regulatory laws against e-cigarettes in the very first paragraph of the report.
“Nanny state intervention is common in the health sector, it's just hard to see how restricting vaping would benefit public health,” he said.
“There may be arguments for restricting people from alcohol, tobacco, and obesity. But laws against e-cigarettes not only limit freedom, but also affect people’s health.”
He asserted that the majority of e-cigarette users are smokers and very few are minors who have never smoked before.
The report concluded that “nicotine replacement products offer smokers an effective smoking cessation tool of choice, under government-approved conditions.”
Vaper-Friendly Countries
In this ranking, Sweden is at the top.
Sweden is pretty relaxed about e-cigarettes. It is the only EU country that allows the use of SNUS, a form of smokeless tobacco.
The UK, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands all came in second place.
These countries have absolutely no restrictions on vaping in public, no product taxes, and no import/export laws. They only have restrictions on vaping advertising in the media.
At the bottom of the list are Finland and Hungary. Vape products are heavily regulated and taxed in these two regions.
The report also acknowledges that things seem to be changing for the better. Nicotine e-liquids are now legal in all EU countries except Switzerland.
The author also praises the harm reduction approach of some countries. For example, health authorities in the UK have begun to encourage the use of e-cigarettes as an alternative to conventional cigarettes.
The article also points out that some countries have taken a step back in vape development.
In 2016, only Italy and Portugal taxed essential oils. This year, the number of countries that have introduced taxes on essential oils has increased to 12.
The number of countries banning or restricting vaping under tobacco laws also increased from nine to 12 in 2016 and 2018.
TPD, a law that has been implemented in all 28 EU member states, places restrictions on vape products and their advertising across the entire territory.
This means that in the EU, e-cigarette tanks can only hold 2ml. The capacity of an e-liquid bottle is only 10ml and the concentration cannot exceed 20mg.
Comparing EU and US
The author of the report says it is difficult to compare the EU and the US.
He explained that the US does not have TPD laws, which can be considered a plus. They also do not have laws against vaping, but some states have enacted laws and impose very heavy taxes.
Many states have banned vaping in public places and work environments.
These points make the comparison between the EU and the US extremely complicated.
“You can give a ranking for a state, but it's hard to do that for the whole country,” Snowdon said.
Although there are currently few laws governing vapes in the US, the FDA's product registration mandate is making it difficult for manufacturers to bring new products to market.
