“Our data show that flavors aren’t just popular with the youth, but with adults as well,” said lead author and associate professor of medicine and public health sciences, Dr. Ping Du. “Many of the participants in our study indicated that they used e-cigarettes as a means to quit smoking or avoid relapse, and these flavors may be part of the reason why they end up using e-cigarettes in the long term,” she said.
The compiled data indicated that all ages preferred chocolate, candy and other sweet flavours, and about 50% of the participants said that if their favourite flavours were made unavailable via bans, they would still find a way to purchase them.
Flavour bans would lead to purchasing contraband products
Study co-author and professor of public health sciences Jonathan Foulds, pointed out that despite the ban on flavoured cartridges, most of the respondents used cartridge-based devices. He noted that these users can continue to purchase flavoured e-liquids in bottles via illicit sources and possibly get flavours through disposable vapes.
“Unauthorized flavor additions or buying products off the streets is dangerous for personal health since we don’t know what the chemicals are in those products,” said Du. “We don’t know what the long-term effects of this new policy will be, but the evidence we’ve collected says that adult, long-term e-cigarette users with a preference for sweeter flavors may face health risks trying to obtain or make their preferred flavors,” she said.
Read Further: UPI
CDC Study: Curiosity (Not Flavours) is the Main Instigator of Teen Vaping
