Swedish conservative EU lawmaker Johan Nissinen has stated that national legislation would be more effective than an EU-wide framework for the promotion of electronic cigarettes.

The popularity of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices has risen in Europe in recent years, posing a challenge to regulate the products’ consumption and marketing.

Nissinen suggested that each member state should implement national legislation, stating that he doesn't want the EU to define a specific model that will work for all countries. Every country is different and has different kinds of problems with tobacco. “Europe is too divided on that to have a regulation,” he added.

Nissinen emphasized that harm reduction should be the main focus. Taxes should be put after how bad the thing is. He suggested that cigarettes should have the highest tax, and their use would go down as a result.

According to a 2021 Eurobarometer study, 76% of European smokers who gave up smoking or have tried to quit did it without any assistance, 13% with nicotine substitutes and 11% via vaping. However, Nissinen cautioned against promoting e-cigarettes as a “healthy” choice and suggested Swedish legislation as a model. Nicotine pouches sit between the lips and the gum and are seen to be used by high-profile figures such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Tammy Abraham, and Kylian Mbappé on social media networks.

For prevention among children and teens, awareness of traditional cigarettes and new tobacco products would be essential in schools, according to Nissinen. Photo by TBEC Review, Wikimedia commons.