BILLIONThe European Union’s executive branch on Wednesday proposed a ban on the sale of flavored heated tobacco products, including some vaping items, as part of a plan to fight cancer.
The European Commission said its proposal was made in response to a significant increase in the volume of such products sold across the 27-nation bloc.
A recent study by the commission found that sales of heated tobacco products in more than five member countries increased by 10%, while heated tobacco products exceeded 2.5% of the total. sales of tobacco products in general throughout the region.
The ban will not cover all vaping devices, only those that dispense heated tobacco. Many e-cigarettes contain only nicotine.
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Stella Kyriakides, commissioner in charge of health and food safety, said: “With nine out of 10 lung cancers caused by tobacco, we wanted to make smoking as unappealing as possible to protect it. protect citizens’ health and save lives.
According to EU data, cancer is the second leading cause of death in a bloc of 450 million residents. There are approximately 1.3 million cancer deaths and 3.5 million new cases each year in the EU
An estimated 40% of EU citizens will face cancer at some point in their lives, with an estimated annual economic impact of around 100 billion euros ($120 billion).
The European Commission previously said it wanted to ensure that less than 5% of the population uses tobacco by 2040.
The ban’s proposal has now been forwarded to member states and European Parliament lawmakers for consideration.
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