In Serbia, vape sales have been banned to minors in line with a recent amendment to the Law on Consumer Protection. While Hungary has reaffirmed that it will continue to treat vaping like smoking.

The ministry in charge of Serbia’s tobacco laws has recently explained that they are working on amendments to the Law on Consumer Protection, as they believe that this could be the solution to a major national vape problem. The ministry added that the popularity of the products among non-smoking youth poses a serious public health problem, as it encourages nicotine addiction and exposure to carcinogenic substances, increasing the likelihood of them moving onto combustible cigarettes.

Despite whether one agrees with such claims or not, most will agree that Serbia’s efforts to forbid sales to minors are sensible. On the other hand, Hungary is maintaining a more generic and less sensible approach. The country’s ruling party Fidesz still fails to acknowledge the scientific evidence about the potential benefits of vapes. To this effect, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Benec Rétvári, said that vaping will keep on being regulated in the same way as smoking.

Discussing this statement, the Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) Michael Landl reiterated the fact that such a stance will just contribute to the loss of lives. “It is shocking that the Hungarian government still peddles worn-out and debunked myths about vaping. Rétvári systematically ignores scientific evidence proving the benefits of vaping, not to mention the first-hand experience of millions of vapers. Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking and a more effective method to quit smoking than traditional therapies such as gum and patches. The Hungarian approach to vaping will do nothing but cost lives.”

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