WHO Seeks Urgent Action to Ban Flavoured Tobacco, Nicotine Products

Onyebuchi Ezigbo In Abuja

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said it has launched a new publication and called on governments to urgently ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products.

The global health body, in a statement at the weekend, said the products includes cigarettes, pouches, hookahs and e-cigarettes, to protect youths from addiction and disease.

The organisation noted that flavours like menthol, bubble gum and cotton candy are masking the harshness of tobacco and nicotine products, turning toxic products into youth-friendly bait.
According to the statement, flavours not only make it harder to quit, but have also been linked to serious lung diseases.

It also said that cigarettes, which still kill up to half of their users, came in flavours or can have flavours added to them.

The Director-General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that flavours were fuelling a new wave of addiction and should be banned.
Ghebreyesus said this undermined decades of progress in tobacco control.

“Without bold action, the global tobacco epidemic, already killing around eight million people each year, will continue to be driven by addiction dressed up with appealing flavours,” he said.

According to him, the publication of flavour accessories in tobacco products enhance attractiveness and appeal, revealing how flavours and accessories like capsule filters and click-on drops are marketed to bypass regulations and hook new users.

He said that currently, more than 50 countries had banned flavoured tobacco, more than 40 countries banned e-cigarette sales; five specifically banned disposables and seven banned e-cigarette flavours; and flavour accessories remain largely unregulated.

The health body said that countries such as Belgium, Denmark, and Lithuania are taking action, and WHO urged others to follow.

“Flavours are a leading reason why young people try tobacco and nicotine products,” he said.

“Paired with flashy packaging and social media-driven marketing, they’ve increased the appeal of nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, and disposable vapes into addictive and harmful products, which aggressively target young people.”

WHO’s Director of Health Promotion, Rüdiger Krech, said that they are watching a generation get hooked on nicotine through gummy bear-flavoured pouches and rainbow-coloured vapes.

“This isn’t innovation, it’s manipulation. And we must stop it,” Krech said.

WHO reiterated that tobacco products, including heated tobacco products, expose users to cancer-causing chemicals and should be strictly regulated.

He said that the 2025 World No Tobacco Day campaign honoured governments, youth activists and civil society leaders pushing back against industry interference.

“Your actions are changing policy and saving lives,” he said.

He said that with around eight million tobacco-related deaths each year, the time for action is now.

The World No Tobacco Day is being celebrated every 31 May.

The theme of 2025 is ‘Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products’.