According to the Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat, there is a growing recognition that new nicotine products are not healthier alternatives to cigarettes. The products are designed to be addictive and specifically appeal to young people, according to the Convention's website . The Convention on Tobacco Control is a convention under the WHO.
“The tobacco and nicotine industries have a long and disturbing history of aggressively marketing harmful products, especially to children and young people,” said Adriana Blanco Marquizo, head of the secretariat. “These industries exploit young people and lure them into addiction with sweet flavours, flashy packaging and misleading messages. These tactics may increase profits, but they do so at a devastating cost to human health – and we must act quickly and decisively to stop them.”
One of the most effective and dangerous tactics used by the industry is the use of flavors. As early as 2010, the Tobacco Control Convention recommended banning or restricting ingredients that increase the attractiveness and palatability of products, and over 50 countries have banned flavored tobacco products. Flavors such as menthol and mango attract new nicotine users, especially young people, and disguise the harshness of tobacco, making it easier to both start and continue using the products.
On World No Tobacco Day, May 30, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries around the world to ban flavored nicotine products and at the same time launched four new fact sheets about them.
