Norway bans all flavours in tobacco products. The exception is so-called "tobacco flavours". The ban applies regardless of whether the e-liquid contains nicotine or not.
"This is absolutely absurd. The government believes that those who use e-cigarettes to stay smoke-free should now use flavours that remind them of smoking." So says Frank Tinmansvik, a vaper and active in the consumer movement for harm reduction in Norway.
For more than eight years, Norwegian roadside vendors have been waiting for e-juice with nicotine to become legal to sell in the country. Instead, a regulation is now in place that allows nicotine-containing e-liquids, but only in flavours reminiscent of cigarette smoke.
"Our politicians have basically thrown us vapers under the bus. They haven't understood what e-cigarettes mean for us adult users. They are banning a product that is already illegal for children and young people to buy. It's completely insane," says Frank Tinmansvik to Vejpkollen.
More people will shop in Sweden
Currently, Norwegians can buy nicotine-free e-liquid in the form of shortfills in Norway and then import nicotine-containing liquid from Sweden, provided they have a prescription from a doctor. The idea behind the new law was to allow Norwegian vape shops to sell nicotine without a prescription and otherwise follow the EU rules that apply. The nicotine-containing liquid that can now be sold in Norway must either be tasteless or have some form of smoke flavouring.
"Very few EU countries have banned flavourings. Finland and Denmark have, but not Sweden. Many people will cross the border to buy the flavours they need. Many will probably also try to mix their own flavours, and that can end badly. Not all flavours are suitable for vaping, but not everyone knows that," says Frank Tinmansvik.
The white snuff got loose
Frank Tinmansvik points out that sister products such as nicotine inclusions (the Norwegian variant of nicotine pouches that contain a small amount of tobacco) and regular snus are much better off under the new legislation. Online sales will be allowed to continue and the flavour restriction first proposed by the government was removed from the bill.
"It was about the fact that there were enough snus users. The government realised that going too hard on white snus would lead to huge revenue losses and anger. It was easier to sacrifice us road vapers instead," says Frank Tinmansvik.
"Many contacted the politicians"
Markus Lindblad, Head of Communications at one of the largest retailers of snus and nicotine pouches in the Nordics, Snusbolaget (owned by the Swedish Haypp Group), agrees.
"In the end, it was probably the pressure from all the snus users that changed the government's mind. We know that many of our Norwegian customers contacted politicians and made demands. This was of course gratifying for us. At the same time, it's sad that there is no consistent policy to combat smoking in Norway. E-cigarettes and various forms of oral nicotine products have a very low harm profile, and governments in all countries should utilise this to reduce smoking to the low levels we see in Sweden and soon also in Norway," says Markus Lindblad to Vejpkollen.
E-cigarettes help heavy smokers quit
Norwegian researchers have long debated snus and e-cigarettes, and the debate has intensified in the run-up to the new legislation. Some researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Health have recently been accused of misleading communication in connection with a study on the risks of snus use.
In the autumn of 2023, new studies were also published showing that snus has gained competition as the most popular smoking cessation tool. The studies showed that e-cigarettes are the tool that attracts many of the remaining smokers in Norway. According to Karl-Erik Lund, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Health, most smokers who would like to try snus have already given up cigarettes.
"Those who still smoke have probably never liked the idea of using snus, but can imagine vaping. We also know that the majority of smokers switching to e-cigarettes in Norway use fruit and berry flavours. Banning these flavours risks seriously impairing the ability of more smokers to quit smoking," Karl-Erik Lund told Vejpkollen when the study was published.
"They don't know what to do next"
It has not yet been decided when or how the Norwegian ban on flavours in e-cigarettes will be implemented. Frank Tinmansvik says that he, along with other organised vapers, will try to influence the situation as much as possible.
"The government and authorities have no idea how this will be enforced or how it will work in practice. We already have an 18-year age limit for e-cigarettes and it seems that shops are enforcing it well. You can't get rid of the black market economy by introducing more bans. But since they didn't listen to us, we have to do what we can to perhaps retain the ability to flavour our e-juice with what we want without having to break the law," Frank Tinmansvik tells Vejpkollen.
"But what bothers me the most is that those who smoke today will no longer have access to e-cigarettes as a tool to quit smoking. Flavour is key, and without the ability to find the right flavour, many will continue to smoke instead," says Frank Tinmansvik.
Sources in this article:
Parliament: Adoption of an act on amendments to the Tobacco Damage Act (stricter regulation of e-cigarettes)
