According to plovdiv24 on February 25, the World e-Cigarette Federation (WVA) has strongly condemned the Bulgarian Parliament’s decision to impose a total ban on e-cigarette products. The agency said the policy was prompted by a tragic incident involving black-market THC e-cigarettes, but a ban would only exacerbate the real problem, which is poor regulation of black markets selling dangerous products.
The WVA warns that Bulgaria already has the highest smoking rate in the European Union, at 37 percent, despite the alarming statistics, Bulgarian lawmakers have chosen to abandon an effective harm reduction tool – e-cigarettes that help smokers quit. And the policies they put in place will only push adult e-cigarette users back into smoking or the black market.
Michael Landl, director of the World e-Cigarette Alliance, said,
“This ban is not only unreasonable, it’s dangerous. Banning regulated vaping products will not solve the problem of illegal vaping, it will only make it worse.”
“E-cigarettes are not the enemy – they are the most effective tool many of us have found to quit smoking. Currently only 3% of Bulgarians use e-cigarettes, but it is already the most popular method of quitting smoking in our country. Countries with emission-reduction policies, such as Sweden, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, are moving toward smoke-free goals. On its current trajectory, Bulgaria will never achieve that goal.”
The WVA calls on Bulgarian lawmakers to reconsider this policy and that evidence-based regulations that promote safer alternatives are essential to reduce smoking rates and protect public health.