MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday urged governments around the world to ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products to help protect young people from addiction and health risks.
The appeal came on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. WHO, a United Nations agency based in Geneva, said that flavoured tobacco and nicotine items, including cigarettes, hookahs, pouches, and e-cigarettes, are designed to attract users, especially youth, and make it harder for them to quit.
According to WHO, these tobacco and nicotine products are not only addictive but also harmful, sometimes even more dangerous than regular tobacco.
Enjoying flavoured products can lead to addiction, making it harder for users to quit and leading to major health concerns, including lung diseases.
Despite efforts made to stop tobacco use, a new generation is drawn to flavoured products which contribute to the annual toll of eight million deaths worldwide related to tobacco.
WHO stressed that products are often packaged in bright and colourful ways, using sweety or fruity names meant to attract younger people.
Experts say that this type of advertising and wrapping triggers parts of the teen brain linked to pleasure, making them less aware of health warnings.
According to WHO News Release, “The publication, Flavour accessories in tobacco and nicotine products enhance attractiveness and appeal, reveals how flavours and accessories like capsule filters and click-on drops are marketed to bypass regulations and hook new users”.
Young people also report seeing more and more of these flavoured nicotine products being advertised on social media platforms. This form of marketing is used for all types of tobacco and nicotine items, including cigars and e-cigarettes.
Flavours like “menthol,” “bubble gum,” and “cotton candy” are being used to “mask the harshness of tobacco,” WHO warned, turning harmful products into what it called “youth-friendly bait.”
In the lead-up to World No Tobacco Day, WHO released fact sheets and called for a complete ban on all flavourings in these products.
The agency pointed to Articles 9 and 10 of the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which require countries to regulate the contents of tobacco and nicotine products and ensure full disclosure, including any added flavours.
