Finland. The Nordic country where most people smoke, snus is illegal and e-cigarettes are regulated as if they were cigarettes. What's it like to be a vejp user in Finland? Is it possible to use e-cigarettes in a country whose government is doing everything to prevent it?
Vejpkollen met with Jari Ollikka, vejper and spokesperson for the consumer association Vapers Finland.
In fact, the first thing I notice when I look around Helsinki station is the smell of cigarette smoke. It might be a coincidence, but it's still a bit symbolic. Since 2016, Finland has taken a hard line against all products that compete with cigarette sales. Not surprisingly, this has affected the statistics. 12-14% of Finns still smoke, compared to 6% in Sweden and 10% in Norway.
Imported snus and disposable models
Snus is banned from sale by EU law, flavors in e-cigarettes and e-liquid are heavily restricted, and nicotine pouches have been banned until recently regulated as medicines. At the same time, the use of both snus and nicotine pouches is relatively high. Around 9% of Finns use snus, imported from Sweden. The use of e-cigarettes, in particular disposable models, has increased significantly among young people - just like in any other country.
Road Pat for 12 years
Jari Ollikka wrinkles his nose a little when we talk about nicotine pouches and disposables. We meet at the station on this chilly spring day in Helsinki. Is it really that bad? No, it could be the sun stinging my eyes too, I think, not quite clearly. But still.
He quit smoking in 2011, he says. And that was with a small ego pen and a strong nicotine juice from the convenience store - it was the latest that e-cigarette technology could offer then, 12 years ago.
"I wavered a bit between smoking and vejpa in the beginning. But once I found a good vejp and a good flavor, I was done with cigarettes," he says.
Before the EU rules came
Vaping products were barely regulated anywhere in the world at the time and Finland was no exception. In 2014, the EU tried to turn nicotine e-liquid into a medicine. The Commission failed, after a large group of users made their voices heard in Parliament. Instead, the EU transposed e-cigarettes and e-liquid into the new Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), a regulatory framework that was ready to be implemented in 2016.
Outright ban on tasting
That's when Finnish anti-tobacco activists struck the blow. Instead of making e-liquid a medicine (the original plan in both the EU and Sweden, for example), a 'plan b' had emerged. The plan was called 'taste ban'. And it soon became clear that Finland would be the first country in the EU to introduce such a ban.
"When the EU set up its TPD rules, there was an aggressive discussion here in Finland. And that wasn't very nice for us vejpers. We didn't get much say in the matter" recalls Jari Ollikka.
Should taste like cigarettes
The reasoning was that safer nicotine products and smoking cessation were something that pharmaceutical companies should patent - not small businesses and tobacco companies. And that was enough, according to a majority in the Finnish Parliament. So when the TPD was implemented in Finland, the decision was made to restrict the ability to flavor the e-liquid in e-cigarettes with anything. They could only be sold with "characteristic" flavors". And since, according to the reasoning, e-cigarettes were really just cigarettes that for some reason have an "e" in the prefix, these would also taste "characteristic".
"Like tobacco, in other words. Perfectly logical in their world," says Jari Ollikka, with clear sarcasm.
Many became smokers - again
"Our authorities have never actually defined what a 'tobacco flavor' is. Even less have they shown the slightest interest in controlling the e-juices on the market today. It's as if calling something a 'tobacco flavor' is enough for the inspectors," says Jari Ollikka as we chat over a casual buffet in a restaurant in central Helsinki.
"For those of us who vejped, it meant that all the e-juices we were used to disappeared from the shops. Many people stopped vejpa and went back to cigarettes, of course. Some may have switched to snus instead. Others started mixing their own e-juices" says Jari Ollikka.
A new market for flavors
The do-it-yourself solution quickly became the basis for a 'new' market in Finland. The base liquids, propylene glycol and glycerine, began to be sold in convenient packages, and flavors (flavorshots) and nicotine were sold separately.
"However, the flavorings could not be sold or marketed "for mixing into e-liquid". To avoid breaking the law, they were labeled as "for baking" or "food additives". Just like in other countries, we have nicotine cones with 20 mg per milliliter. We buy everything separately and mix it up at home. It's not difficult - but I feel sorry for those smokers who can't switch from cigarettes to e-cigs without having to deal with all this" says Jari Ollikka.
Two percent vejpar
Despite the taste ban, the proportion of active vejpers is around two percent in Finland. About the same as in Sveirge. But there used to be more of them," says Jari Ollikka, who has been active in the consumer association Vapers Finland for a long time.
"There were a lot more of us before all the bans came. The association had support from companies, which gave discounts to members. When that disappeared, so did the interest and we lost members."
Ban on online purchases
But it wasn't really the taste ban that was the big killer for vejpning in Finland, says Jari Ollikka. More bans were waiting around the corner.
"The flavoring is pretty easy to fix yourself, we vejpers are innovative. However, it was the extensive ban on selling vejp products online that really complicated things. Previously, we could buy our stuff via the internet, from other countries or from local vejp shops. When that went away, I know it was the last straw for many vejpers. How would someone who doesn't live near a vejpshop get a new mod, spare parts and so on. I heard people saying: "I'll ride until the mod breaks, then I'll probably start smoking again".
Beginners were affected
After the online ban, not much remained on the market, especially not for beginners, notes Jari Ollikka.
"I bought my first e-cig in a convenience store. But they only sell the tobacco companies' pod systems now. If you want the good stuff, you have to live near a physical vejp store. It works in big cities, but not in rural areas" says Jari Ollikka.
Challenged the ban
Despite this, a number of vejp shops have kept their doors open. But even this looks set to change. At the time of writing, a court is deciding whether it is ok for a vejpshop, i.e. a shop that normally sells e-cigarettes and e-liquid, to advertise flavors at all. The authorities reason quite bluntly: IF the vejpshop sells flavors (which are NOT a so-called "tobacco flavor") - it does so with the intention that the customer will make e-liquid from it. In that case, it would be a breach of the law. The tricky thing is, of course, that this would NOT apply if a "regular" shop sells the same product.
"We were all waiting for this to happen in the end" says Jari Ollikka. "They really want to get rid of the vejping."
Roadside shops closed - tax on VG
At the same time, the tax authorities have started sending invoices to vejp companies selling the base fluids propylene glycol and glycerine. The reasoning is the same. If the liquids are intended to be used to mix e-liquid, they should also be taxed as an e-liquid. The company FinnVape - which took the flavoring case to the highest court - was unable to pay the huge bill sent by the tax authorities - retroactive tax on thousands of liters of base liquid. Bankruptcy followed soon after.
"Finnvape was the company that dared to challenge the state on flavorings. And the state put them out of business. That doesn't feel quite right," says Jari Ollikka, a little sad, but still not completely resigned.
Specialist shops for flavorings
We're having a cup of coffee after dinner when he shows us a website he recently found: a specialist shop for "aromas".
"Bake cookies, flavor like the pros!" reads the headline. Sort of.
He grins a little.
Looking at the site, at the logos, the brands, the symbols on the flavoring bottles, I understand what it's all about: these are well-known e-juice brands, presented as something you "mix in the cake or in the drink". Of course, these are not flavors that are "made" to flavor drinks - although technically you can do that. This is how vejpers can get the flavors they want in their e-liquid.
Under the table, with a twinkle in the eye, from one vejpare to another.
"They don't understand what they are doing"
"Politicians in Finland did not know, then or now, what they were legislating for. This is how it turned out instead. The problem with the system, which is actually being enforced, is that some users may get the idea that it is possible to use any flavor to vejpa. That it is possible to buy any "cake flavor" in the store and mix e-juice on it. It is literally deadly, especially if the flavorings are oil based and not water soluble. A vejpshop would never sell such products - but they are out of business now" says Jari Ollikka.
Disposable vapes and chewing tobacco
Opposition to e-cigarettes, but also to alternative nicotine products that challenge cigarettes, remains strong in Finland. Nevertheless, the use of these products is growing in Finland as much as in other countries. Disposable models are popular among young people, as are white snus, nicotine pouches. I ask if he notices?
"No, not really. Snus is already big here in Finland and we can import it for our own use. You can also buy 'chewing tobacco' - a variant of snus that has to be chewed a little before it goes under the lip. But you don't see disposable models among older people very often, and never in shops of course. There are only cigarettes." says Jari Ollikka.
Before we part, I ask if he sees any "brightness" in the future. He grins again.
"No, not really," he says, blowing a cloud over the square, mostly for the sake of the picture.
