Consumer advocates and vaping organizations from Greece and across Europe are raising concerns over the Greek Ministry of Health’s proposed ban on all vape flavors except tobacco and menthol. The Greek Vapers’ Alliance and the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) warn that this measure could undermine the country’s significant progress in reducing smoking rates and jeopardize public health.

Since officially adopting harm reduction as a core component of its tobacco control policy in 2019, Greece has successfully reversed the previously growing trend of smoking, setting itself apart from the stagnation observed in many other EU countries. However, the proposed flavor ban threatens to undo these hard-won gains.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, emphasizes the potential consequences of such a ban: “A flavor ban would be a huge step backwards for public health and harm reduction. By supporting a flavor ban, policymakers would push millions of adults back to smoking or into the black market, endangering lives and ignoring scientific evidence. Scientific research consistently shows that flavors play a crucial role in helping smokers quit. The endorsement of the flavor ban ignores those findings and the clear will of the people. This will cause more harm than good.”

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