World Vape Day: Flavours save lives

By Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, MD, MPH – Cardiologist and Tobacco Harm Reduction Researcher, Greece

Each year, on World Vape Day, we are reminded that the world continues to lose over 8 million people annually to smoking-related diseases—despite decades of tobacco control. But there is hope. The science is clear: combustion is the killer, not nicotine (1). And when smokers are supported to switch to safer, smoke-free alternatives such as vaping and oral pouches, the results are profound.

Sweden is the proof. Once a country where nearly half of men smoked, Sweden has now achieved what no other country has: just 4.5% of Swedish-born adults smoke, meeting the official definition of a smoke-free society—15 years ahead of the EU’s 2040 goal. While total nicotine use remains similar to other European countries, Sweden’s strategy has led to 61% fewer male lung cancer deaths and a 34% lower total cancer death rate than the EU average (2).

This revolution was not driven by abstinence, but by innovation. Sweden’s decline in smoking was made possible by embracing accessible, affordable, and socially acceptable alternatives, including snus, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches. Since 2012 alone, the country has reduced its smoking rate by 54%, transforming its public health landscape (2).

Yet while Sweden moves forward, many other countries remain stalled—largely due to misinformation and moral panic, particularly around flavoured vaping products. This is a tragic mistake. In my review of international evidence, I found that flavours are not a marketing gimmick; they are a lifeline. Flavours improve satisfaction, reduce cravings, and significantly enhance the chances of quitting smoking for good (3).

Regulators often worry that flavours attract youth, but bans are not the answer. Instead, we must enforce strict age verification, limit advertising to adult smokers, and provide evidence-based regulation. Prohibiting flavours only risks pushing adults back to smoking, or into unregulated black markets, as data from San Francisco’s failed flavour ban has shown (3).

It’s time we catch up to the science and the success stories. Sweden is not an outlier—it is a blueprint. And it is being followed: New Zealand has nearly halved its smoking rate since 2018, coinciding with a major rise in daily vaping(4). Japan has seen cigarette sales plunge by 43% as smokers turn to heated tobacco products. And in the UK, nearly 3 million people have successfully quit smoking using vapes (2).

This World Vape Day, I urge policymakers to stop vilifying vaping and start listening to the evidence. Flavours save lives. Vaping saves lives. Let’s make nicotine safer and support—not sabotage—smokers who want to quit.