Vaping policies criticized

A new report by the Nanny State Index, a project set up to monitor intrusive, anti-consumer legislation, has strongly criticised the punitive approach to safer nicotine products that is increasingly being adopted across the EU, according to a story by Fergus Mason for vapingpost.com.

The Index, which is published by the Epicenter think tank group, is compiled by the Institute of Economic Affairs director Christopher Snowdon (pictured).

As well producing an annual scorecard ranking EU countries by consumer freedom, it publishes also reports on issues of special concern, and the suppression of reduced-harm nicotine products has now reached that threshold.

In the latest, 72-page report, Snowdon acknowledges that there has been progress in some areas; so, for example, nicotine e-liquid is now legal in all EU member states and all other European countries except Switzerland.

He identifies also two countries with a positive approach to harm reduction – Sweden with snus, and the UK with vapor products.

However, Snowdon criticises the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive, which imposes restrictions on what vapor products can be sold and how they can be advertised.

Now, national governments were increasingly gold-plating the TPD rules and imposing extra taxes on vapers. Twelve of the 28 EU members had already done so, and the EU was pushing for ‘harmonisation’ of e-cigarette and tobacco taxation.