Latvian E-cigarette Users Petition to Keep E-cigarette Flavors Legal
May 25 news: According to today’s report from the Baltic News Network, more than 10,000 citizens have signed a petition calling for e-cigarette flavors to remain legal in Latvia. Since the initiative has reached the required number of signatures, it is eligible for review by the Latvian parliament, Saeima.
The petition does not call for a flavor ban; instead, it urges the Latvian government to crack down on illegal e-cigarette sales and educate the public to choose healthier vaping products.
According to the Smoke-Free Products Association, the e-cigarette industry is aimed at smokers who want to quit, and e-cigarettes are considered far less harmful than cigarettes.
According to Toms Lusis, the initiator of the initiative, Latvian lawmakers’ attitude toward vaping products is based on outdated beliefs and research.
“The latest scientific data shows that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to human health than regular cigarettes,” he said. “We support the use of e-cigarettes as a way for residents to stop using tobacco products and to fundamentally fight widespread smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer.”
Lusis warned that if adults are deprived of freedom of choice regarding e-cigarette flavors, the state could also lose considerable revenue from excise taxes on flavored e-liquid.
