Everything is in place for Norway to allow the sale of nicotine e-liquid. Now vejpare and the authorities are waiting for Norwegian politicians to approve the new law. Meanwhile, a planned flavor ban is worrying Norwegian health researchers.
Norway will have the same rules as the EU for the sale of e-cigarettes and e-juice. The Norwegian government already announced this in 2018. Now, four years later, a proposal, approved to become part of the Norwegian EEA Agreement, is ready for a vote in the Alltinget and Stortinget. The process should take at most six months.
"However, even if the decision is delayed, some parts of the rules can be introduced earlier. This has already been done for the authorization system for new tobacco and nicotine products," writes the Norwegian Directorate of Health i a statement.
E-cigs popular for quitting smoking
Currently, Norwegian vejpshoppers are allowed to sell hardware and e-liquid without nicotine. However, Vejpare has been able to import nicotine for their own use. Despite this, e-cigarettes are popular for smoking cessation in Norway.
"In Norway, the use of e-cigarettes has gradually become the second most used method to quit smoking, after snus" writes the health researcher Karl Erik Lund, expert on tobacco issues at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Criticism of planned taste ban
But while Norway is about to approve the sale of e-cigarettes, the government is looking into the possibility of ban popular flavorings in the e-liquid. The idea is to discourage minors from using e-cigs. However, the proposal has received strong criticism, including from Karl Erik Lund.
"E-cigarettes are mainly used by adults who smoke or have smoked in the past. The use of e-cigarettes among young people and non-smokers is low" writes Karl Erik Lund.
Flavors matter when quitting smoking
About 80 percent of vejps in Norway use the flavors that are now at risk of being banned. Flavors that are popular among young people are also the ones most used by older people who use e-cigarettes as a substitute for cigarettes" notes Karl Erik Lund in a commentary on the government proposal.
Fewer smokers are switching
Karl Erik Lund says a flavor ban would "take the edge off e-cigarettes" as an effective tool for today's smokers to go smoke-free
"1 in 3 smokers said they would consider using e-cigarettes instead of cigarettes if they ever quit smoking. E-cigarettes thus have far higher likeability than both snus and nicotine replacement therapy. A flavor ban will reduce the number of smokers who can make a harm-reducing product switch" writes Karl Erik Lund.
