Flavored heated tobacco products (HTPs), known as tobacco sticks, remain one of the key tools the tobacco industry uses to recruit the younger generation of nicotine consumers.
How this marketing ploy works:
- flavorings mask the unpleasant bitter aftertaste and acrid smell of tobacco;
- they alleviate irritation of the airways and throat;
- they make the first puff significantly easier;
- they lower the psychological barrier of “this is harmful and dangerous.”
Instead of realizing the product’s toxicity, teenagers are presented with familiar dessert flavors: watermelon, mango, wild berries, or popular cocktails. Advertising campaigns focus exclusively on “intense sensations,” transforming a toxic substance—which should be repulsive—into an object of interest and a fashion accessory.
The extent of youth engagement with vaping:
- 7% of Ukrainian schoolchildren aged 13–15 already use e-cigarettes;
- 9% of young people aged 18–29 use them daily (compared to only 3% among the older adult population);
- 81% of young consumers choose products exclusively with flavorings, and 28% openly cite the appealing taste as the main reason for starting to use them.
Bill No. 12091, which calls for a complete ban on flavored heated tobacco products, aims to stop this covert assault on young people’s health. This initiative targets not the additives themselves, but the well-established mechanism for luring minors into tobacco addiction. Citizens support this decision: 65% of Ukrainians are in favor of a complete ban on flavored heated tobacco products.
Children and young people are the future of Ukraine, not a resource for enriching the tobacco industry. The Verkhovna Rada must support Bill No. 12091!
For more details on the study and campaign materials: https://surl.li/mgrxod