On average, ex-smokers made five attempts to quit smoking before trying e-cigarettes. This is according to a survey of 3000 former smokers in the Netherlands. At the same time, over 75 per cent of participants said they had tried other aids before they managed to quit smoking completely, with the help of vejpning.
It is the consumer organisation Acvoda, which together with the trade association Esigbond, which asked 3000 Dutch vejpers about their views on different types of smoking cessation programmes.
"Three quarters had tried different products. 31% said they had started smoking again after using nicotine patches, gum or nicotine spray." the organisations wrote in a joint press release.
Flavours are the key to success
The issue is topical in the Netherlands since the government decided to severely restrict supply of flavours in e-cigarettes and e-liquid. As in other countries, the decision is based on concerns about young people being attracted to e-cigarettes. But critics say the wide range of flavours is the key to success for smokers who vape, regardless of age.
Refers to nicotine medicines
However, those in favour of the ban argue that smokers already have good opportunities to quit smoking, by using various pharmaceutical preparations.
But this is something that runs counter to the answers in the survey, says Acvoda and Esigbond.
"Our survey shows that medicines are not enough. 43% said they would not have been able to quit smoking if it wasn't for e-cigarettes. 81% said that flavouring was crucial to switching from smoking to vejpning," the organisations write.
Not popular with vejpare
The widespread dissatisfaction with available nicotine medicines may be a major contributor to their failure to work in smoking cessation, says Acvoda and Esigbond. When asked to rank different smoking cessation methods, nicotine gum and patches were the lowest on the list. Nicotine sprays were slightly more popular, but not significantly so.
"The fact that so many people clearly don't even like the products may partly explain why traditional medicines and methods don't help this particular group," the organisations write.
E-cigarettes attract heavy smokers
There are currently around 400,000 vejp users in the Netherlands. Of the people surveyed, 96% had been smokers before they started using e-cigarettes. The majority, 70 per cent, were also considered heavy smokers (at least one pack of cigarettes a day). The average age was 46 years.
Many experience better health
E-cigarettes reduce health risks for smokers by over 95%, according to the Royal College of Physicians. According to the RCoP, regulated e-cigarettes are as safe as nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation, albeit more effective.
"90 per cent say they experience better health since switching completely from smoking to vejpning. 30 per cent also say that a doctor has confirmed the health improvement" says Esigbond's chairman Emil t' Hart.
Worrying flavour bans
The Dutch flavour ban was due to come into force in July 2022 but has now been postponed to 2023.
"Considering that the majority of vejps say they would still be smoking cigarettes if it wasn't for vejpning, and that flavours contribute to its success, what is happening is very worrying" says Emil 't Hart.
The initiator of this 'taste ban' in the Netherlands was apparently a gentleman called Paul Blokhuis who belongs to a small Christian Calvinist party with only 3% of the votes. Unfortunately, his party was part of a coalition in which he was the equivalent of our Minister of Social Affairs. His arguments were entirely moralistic: 'think of the children'.