{"id":164110,"date":"2025-05-23T17:35:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T17:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tobaccoreporter.com\/?p=164110"},"modified":"2025-05-23T17:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T17:35:11","slug":"opinion-who-is-wrong-on-flavors-its-time-to-stand-up-for-harm-reduction-and-common-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tobaccoreporter.com\/2025\/05\/23\/opinion-who-is-wrong-on-flavors-its-time-to-stand-up-for-harm-reduction-and-common-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: WHO Is Wrong on Flavors \u2014 It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Harm Reduction and Common Sense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at Haypp Group, parent company of Nicokick.com and Northerner.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At every turn, a new opinion emerges, demonizing brands for developing flavored products, to, as they say: market to those underage\u2014often based on the notion of a \u201chidden agenda.\u201d Let\u2019s be clear: these products are created exclusively for adult consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is using World No Tobacco Day 2025 to push the go-to \u2018anti flavor\u2019 agenda on nicotine products. Huge surprise to no one. The claim is that they\u2019re part of an industry ploy to attract children. The slogan\u2014Bright Product. Dark Intentions. Unmasking the Appeal\u2014is both misleading and dangerous. And the question we ask ourselves: to what end?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What those who are committed to this rhetoric seem to forget is that regulatory bodies have implemented strict guidelines to ensure the opposite of this mythical \u2018hidden agenda\u2019. As compliant and responsible brands, we walk a tight rope every day. Transparency is built into every layer of the industry\u2014from marketing communications in earned, paid, and owned channels to prominent warning labels and full ingredient disclosure. The real unknown is the unchecked rise of illicit products flooding the market. Much like alcohol, flavors are not a tool for targeting youth. The logical step forward is to adopt consistent age verification measures\u2014at both the federal and state levels\u2014to prevent underage access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHO\u2019s Campaign Ignores Science and Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO, like many other one-sided anti-tobacco organizations, paints all flavored nicotine products with the same broad brush, ignoring clear distinctions with those developed as alternatives to help adults move away from smoking. The truth is, flavored alternatives have proven to be a strong contributor to the harm reduction movement, helping millions of smokers transition away from deadly combustible tobacco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized certain nicotine products to be marketable as a risk-reduced alternative, as part of its harm-reduction strategy, finally listening to and acknowledging the science we\u2019ve known for years. Yet the flavor-ban fight continues, contradicting this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Real Problem: Access, Not Flavors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It begs repeating: Flavors weren\u2019t made for kids\u2014they were made for adults seeking an alternative to smoking. We have seen the news cycle recently, offering reports on the marginal increase in underage usage, a problem we can all agree on. But to be clear, kids don\u2019t get access because of peach or watermelon flavor names\u2014they get access because standardized age-verification policies present with other categories and industries are absent, so the next best thing is to ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n