The Alianța Mondială a Vaporatorilor (WVA) has published the results of a survey conducted by independent pollster Dynata. The survey confirms the importance of vaping as a harm-reduction tool and explains how banning flavours could compromise its effectiveness.

Key Findings

– 92.1% of Spanish vapers were smokers before switching to vaping.

– 87% of vapers believe flavours help them stay away from tobacco or reduce smoking.

– 92% of vapers use flavours other than tobacco.

Vaping as a Harm Reduction Tool

The survey, conducted by independent pollster Dynata, sampled 585 Spanish vapers and found that:

– 50.4% started vaping to smoke less

– 23.9% began vaping to quit smoking entirely

– 39.8% cited using nicotine in a less harmful way as a motivation

Effectiveness of Flavours

– 67% of former smokers say flavours helped reduce cigarette use

– 14% state flavours were key to quitting smoking completely

Potential Consequences of Flavour Ban

If flavours were banned:

– 3 out of 4 respondents say it would affect their ability to stay away from tobacco

– Half would either return to smoking or seek flavoured products on the black market or import them

Alberto Gomez Hernandez, Policy Manager of WVA, commented:

“Evidence shows that vaping helps smokers reduce or quit smoking, something that other methods have not achieved with the same impact. Instead of restricting access, authorities should promote vaping as part of a public health strategy based on harm reduction.

Flavours are a crucial tool for adult smokers looking to quit. Eliminating flavours would make it harder for thousands of Spanish vapers to stay away from cigarettes and for millions of smokers to quit in the future.”

Despite this evidence, the Ministry of Health intends to ban flavours in vape liquids. The WVA urges the government to adopt policies based on harm reduction and scientific evidence rather than restrictive measures that could compromise public health goals.