WHO urges countries to ban flavored e-cigarettes and adopt tobacco-like control measures

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged governments around the world to regulate e-cigarettes in a manner similar to tobacco products and to ban all flavored e-cigarettes, a move that could threaten tobacco companies’ investments in smoking alternatives.

Some researchers, activists, and governments believe e-cigarettes, or vaping, are a key tool for reducing deaths and disease caused by smoking. But the U.N. agency said “urgent measures” are needed to control them.

Based on available research, the WHO said there is not enough evidence to show that e-cigarettes help smokers quit, that they are harmful to health, and that they may drive nicotine addiction among non-smokers, especially children and young people.

The WHO further noted that in all WHO regions, more adolescents aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes than adults, helped by aggressive marketing.

“Children are being recruited and targeted at a young age to use e-cigarettes and may become addicted to nicotine,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, urging countries to implement strict measures.

The WHO called for changes including banning all flavorings, such as menthol, and applying tobacco-control measures to e-cigarettes. These measures include imposing high taxes and banning use in public places.

The WHO has no authority over national regulations and only provides guidance. But its recommendations are often adopted voluntarily.

The WHO and some other anti-tobacco organizations are pushing for stricter regulation of newer nicotine products, targeting alternatives that have become central to the future strategies of major tobacco companies such as Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco.

As regulations tighten and smoking rates decline in some markets, major tobacco companies are hoping to build new revenue streams through alternatives to traditional tobacco products.

The industry says the health risks of e-cigarettes are significantly lower than those of tobacco and that they can help reduce harm. It also argues that some flavors and lower prices are crucial to encouraging smokers to switch—a position that is also supported by some tobacco-control advocates.

The WHO said some substances produced by e-cigarettes are known to cause cancer and pose risks to heart and lung health. It also said studies suggest e-cigarettes may impair brain development in young people. — Reuters