Stockholm, 22 March 2022 – With the Swedish government on the verge of taking a massive step back in the fight against smoking, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) took to the streets of Stockholm with a simple message: Flavours Matter. A billboard bike with a message explaining that flavours help smokers quit made its way to the Parliament buildings in Stockholm. The aim of the campaign is to inform politicians that banning vaping flavours would deal a catastrophic blow to public health in Sweden.

Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, Michael Landl said:

“In the fight against smoking, Sweden has shown in the past that they understand the concept of harm reduction – that less dangerous alternatives to smoking need to be allowed and promoted in order for smoking rates to go down. However, we were dismayed when we learned a month ago of plans to outright ban vaping flavours. Such flavours are not an added bonus for vapers, but an essential way of making those who have quit smoking forget the taste of tobacco. Banning them is likely to result in up to 150.000 Swedes turning back to smoking. Politicians are about to create a public health disaster.”

Sweden is not the only country in the world that is planning such actions. On the heels of misinformation and vocal anti-vaping activists funded to the tune of billions of dollars by so-called philanthropists, other countries are considering similar measures. Vapers all around the globe are under immense legislative pressure trying to restrict their access to less harmful alternatives.

Michael Landl added: “We felt the need to raise our voices because we risk losing decades of progress in smoking rate reductions. If vaping flavours are banned for adults we might see a return of smoking rates like those decades ago. We are here to tell policymakers that flavours do matter, they save lives by allowing people to stay off cigarettes. There is an abundance of science behind this – from Public Health England’s report that shows that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking, to the Yale study showing that vaping flavours is 230% more efficient for quitting smoking than tobacco flavoured vapes. Policymakers should listen to science and base policies on facts not fiction.”

Swedish consumers can contact their political representatives via the WVA action centres to share their vaping success stories: https://worldvapersalliance.com/sv/flavours-action-center/

The ‘Flavours Matter’ protests are continuing in The Hague on 24 March, where the Parliament is also debating a full flavour ban, despite widespread opposition from consumers.