Belgium is the first EU country to ban disposable vapes, and others are likely to follow. The ban went into effect on January 1. Here are proponents and opponents.
Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke previously used a series of familiar arguments to justify the measure. He called disposable vapes “extremely harmful” and said they produce “dangerous chemical waste”. He described them as products designed to get new consumers addicted to nicotine.
Fewer smokers
However, smoking behavior in Belgium has decreased significantly during the period in which disposable nicotine vapes, among other products, have become available and popular. Vapes have been proven to be effective in promoting smoking cessation, which the Belgian government also recognizes for refillable products.
Advocates of disposable vapes as harm reduction tools point out that nicotine is not a cause of smoking-related disease and death, while the ease of use and low start-up costs of disposable vapes make them a particularly accessible way to switch from cigarettes, especially for low-income groups.
“Public health is making enormous progress, but the public perception is that we are creating whole new generations of nicotine addicts.”
Better recycling
Environmental problems can be addressed, they say, by improving recycling facilities and developing more sustainable products; the cigarettes being replaced by vapes also have environmental impacts. Youth use is greatly exaggerated, they say, but can be reduced by better enforcement of existing age restrictions.
Youth epidemic
“We always hear about the ‘youth epidemic,’ yet teen nicotine use is at its lowest in decades,” said Tim Jacobs, a vape user who owns a vape manufacturing, distribution and retail company in Belgium. “Public health is making huge strides, but the public perception is that we are creating whole new generations of nicotine addicts with safer nicotine products.”
Belgium aims to achieve “smoke-free” status by 2040—less than 5 percent of the population smokes. Despite this, the country banned online sales of vapes in 2016, and more restrictions could be on the way.
Extension of ban
although it prohibition on disposable vapes only recently came into effect, a new government report has found that many vape retailers, particularly in the capital Brussels, are not adhering to the rules. This has led to one member of parliament, Els Van Hoof, calling for an extension of the ban to all non-tobacco flavours, which she says “make vaping seem attractive and healthy.” She has introduced a bill, which is currently being considered by the Belgian House of Representatives.
Most adults who switch from cigarettes find non-tobacco flavors the most helpful in doing so. Enjoyment, tobacco reduction experts say, is key to getting more people to switch to the healthier option.
“The anti-vape voices always say that the product is aimed at young people with all those flashy flavors,” Jacobs, who lives in Antwerp, noted. “So why do we have an age restriction? It all starts with proper enforcement.”
Weakening the tobacco industry
Vandenbroucke described Belgium as “playing a pioneering role in weakening the tobacco industry” and called on the rest of the EU to do the same.
In 2023, Belgium also banned nicotine pouches, although they are reportedly still available in many stores. So it appears to be a series of blows to safer nicotine products, despite repeated evidence of their importance to people trying to quit smoking.
Vandenbroucke nevertheless praised Belgium for “a pioneering role in Europe to weaken the tobacco industry” and called on the rest of the EU to follow suit.
The momentum is in his favor. Over the past year, EU institutions have called for a ban on vaping in public spaces and discussed a possible EU-wide ban on flavorings in safer nicotine products.
Stricter rules within the EU
As for individual EU countries, Ireland and France will also ban disposable vapes, and they are among at least 12 countries calling for tougher restrictions.
Meanwhile, the UK, a former EU member, will also ban disposable vapes from June. Whether other EU countries will introduce their own bans on disposable vapes, like Belgium, could soon become irrelevant. The EU’s battery regulation, which was passed in 2023 and is expected to come into force in 2027, stipulates that batteries in portable devices must be removable and replaceable by users. Disposable vapes do not meet this requirement.
Therefore, their availability in the EU – unless prohibited – is subject to a direct threat to illegal markets.
Source: filtermag.org
