Eu propose ban on menthol and electronic cigarettes
E cigarettes have risen in popularity since smoking was banned in enclosed area GETTY
On Tuesday, MEPs from 28 nations will have the chance to vote on restrictions of various tobacco products in an attempt to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking.
With electronic cigarettes rising in popularity in the past few years, campaigners have argued that e cigarettes are becoming damaging to people’s health.
Tobacco companies and e cigarette manufacturers have however all requested the restrictions are watered down.
Anti smoking backers have claimed that e cigarettes have the potential to save millions of lives and have already had a positive impact on society.
MEPs are set to vote on the matter on Tuesday GETTY
Restrictions have been focused on preventing children and young people from picking up masked cigarettes who may be tricked in smoking.
E cigarettes are designed as an alternative to smoking cigarettes without the use of tobacco. They are battery operated and turn chemicals such as nicotine into water vapour.
The proposals have been focused around preventing children and young people from picking up masked cigarettes who may be tricked in smoking.
Menthol cigarettes could also become banned in the EU after officials worry the younger generation may turn to smoking because of the sweet flavouring.
Cigarette packets may soon have bigger warning signs GETTY
Words such as “light” and “mild” may also be removed from packets to prevent misleading customers.
Other proposals include increasing the size of health warnings on cigarette packs and banning slim cigarettes and packs of 10 cigarettes.
An EU report has suggested that around 700,000 people die of smoking related deaths annually across the 28 nations.
And treatment for smoke related diseases costs about 25 billion euro (f21 billion) a year.
Legislation was passed in 2007 that banned smokers from lighting up in all enclosed places across England.
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European parliament set to regulate electronic cigarettes
The European Parliament is set to vote on a batch of regulations on Wednesday that will treat electronic cigarettes like regular tobacco products.
Starting in 2016, advertisements for e cigs will be banned in all 28 nations of the European Union, just like tobacco ads. The packing must be childproof and have graphic health warning labels printed on them. Meanwhile, nicotine content will be limited to 20 milligrams per milliliter, same as tobacco cigarettes.
The European Union’s large scale e cigarette regulations could set a template for the rest of the world to follow. Many cities in the United States, such as Los Angeles, have taken it upon themselves to regulate electronic cigarettes which heat nicotine infused propylene gycol into vapor instead of waiting on the FDA’s decision.
The new e regulations are part of a larger anti smoking regulatory package, will which impose even more severe rules on tobacco cigarettes, including banning all kid friendly flavors and requiring 65 percent of packaging to feature graphic health warnings and photos of diseased lungs. But the restrictions are not as tough on e cigs as the parliament’s original proposal, which would have treated the product as medicine.
This is a victory, said Linda McAvan, the British Labour Party member of the European Parliament. The original proposal was stricter, and I would have voted for that, but the new law is anyway a huge step forward in tobacco control.”
Tobacco and e cigarette companies are of course unhappy about the measure. To Drago Azinovic, president of European operations for Phillip Morris International, the new regulation revamp represents a worrying departure from the E.U. s basic standards of proportionate, evidenced based policy making, which will further erode intellectual property rights and undermine the E.U. charter where these rights are protected.
While the new proposals do allow leeway for member states to classify e cigarettes as quit smoking products if they’d like, some members of the European parliament aren’t happy with the outcome.
This was a very bad agreement, says Martin Callanan, a British Conservative Party politician who believes e cigarettes could help people quit smoking. It s a massive loss for public health in Europe.
