20.02.2023 |News
Puff Bars: Delphi fast-track developed by Unisanté
Experts state that disposable electronic cigarettes, often referred to as “puff bars”, should be banned. If a ban is not possible, certain aspects should be strictly regulated: taxation, product composition and marketing, restrictions on sale and consumption. These regulations should go further than the current EU directive and the future Swiss law. The findings will be useful to support and guide policy-making from a public health and environmental perspective.
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Delphi fast-track study by Unisanté
The Swiss Medical Journal (Revue Médicale Suisse) has published a new study by Unisanté that puts the Delphi fast-track approach into practice. The study aimed to gather consensual agreements between Swiss experts on the regulation of disposable electronic cigarettes. The Delphi fast-track approach, which consists of three steps, was carried out over an 18-day study period. However, this study suffers from several limitations. Firstly, the low response rate in the first round, i.e. 13 out of the 38 experts contacted (34%), does not prevent us from questioning the representativeness of the group of experts. A previous Unisanté survey already suffered from this limitation.[i] The selection criteria for the experts do not seem to be entirely transparent (nor the reasons why such a high proportion of experts did not participate).
The results of the study recommend a ban on the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes. If a ban is not possible, the experts suggest that certain aspects, such as taxation, product composition and marketing, sales, and consumption restrictions, should be strictly regulated. These regulations should go further than the current European directive and the future Swiss law.
The preliminary results of the study were presented at the Annual Conference of the Swiss Association for the Tobacco Control and the Congress of the French-speaking Society of Tobaccology in November, with the conclusions being useful to support and guide political decision making.
Consumption rate and Regulations in Switzerland
A recent study by Unisanté and Health Promotion Valais investigated the consumption rates of disposable e-cigarettes among youth (14- to 25-year-olds) in Switzerland. The data showed that 91% of youth know of “puff bars”, with 59% having used them at least once. These rates are raising public health concerns, as currently, nationwide policies limiting the use of the puff bars are non-existent. Therefore, disposable e-cigarettes remain freely available, with the risks of developing nicotine addiction high. With apparent consumption rates high amongst youth, and experts recommending a total ban of these products, it highlights the need to raise alarms on a national level and the need for adequate policies that protect our youth.
To ban or not to ban?
The Unisanté Delphi study certainly has the merit of pointing out a certain number of questions. However, it frames the debate in a way that forgets the general political debate on tobacco and runs the risk of focusing on the tree while forgetting the forest. There is a discrepancy between what is ideally desirable and the realities of health policy that must be kept in mind if effective policy progress is to be made.
Check out the article here:
[i] Berlin, Ivan; Jacot-Sadowski, Isabelle; Humair, Jean-Paul; Cornuz, Jacques (2021): International expert consensus on electronic nicotine delivery systems and heated tobacco products: a Delphi survey. In BMJ open 11 (9), e045724. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045724.