Tobacco and nicotine industry 'hooking the next generation,' WHO report says

Tobacco companies stillactively target young people via social media, sports and musicfestivals and new, flavoured products, the World HealthOrganization (WHO) said on Thursday, accusing companies oftrying to hook a new generation on nicotine.

Amid ever-stricter regulation targeting cigarettes, bigtobacco companies and new entrants have begun offering smokingalternatives such as vapes, which they say are aimed at adultsmokers.

But the WHO said these products' are often marketed toyouth, their design and variety of fruity flavours appeals tochildren, and that young people are more likely to use theproducts than adults around the world.

"History is repeating itself, but in a different form. Thesame nicotine with a different packaging," said Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus, the WHO's director-general.

The industry says it is working to reduce the harm fromsmoking, but Tedros rejected this claim.

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"It's dishonest to talk about harm reduction when they aremarketing to children," he said.

WHO Director of Health Promotion Ruediger Krech added: "Theuse of child-friendly flavours like cotton candy and bubblegum,combined with sleek and colourful designs that resemble toys, isa blatant attempt to addict young people to these harmfulproducts."

The products have expandedfrom cigarettes, cigarillos and shisha to newer products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.

The WHO's increasingly tough stance on newer nicotineproducts comes after a sharp rise in youth vaping across severalcountries, which it says is in part driven by the dizzying arrayof fruity and sweet flavours on offer.

Canadian scientist calls for flavour restrictions

Robert Schwartz, a professor at theDalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, said e-cigarettes are addictive with harms such as respiratory symptoms including wheezing and coughing.

Schwartz's surveys suggest a high proportion of young people in Canada say they've been exposed to industry marketing of e-cigarettes.

Kids, parents and educators need to know about the harms.

"How is it that despite the fact that we have age restrictions on the sale of these products to young people that they still are so widespread?"Schwartz asked of governments.

Federal Health Minister Mark Holland has said in June he aims to:

• Restrict flavours like winterberry splash from nicotine pouchesand vaping.
• Approve all marketing before it is deployed to avoid the lifestyle advertising promoting nicotine pouches.
• Work with provinces and territories to move nicotine pouches behind the pharmacist's counter.

Big tobacco companies and a host of new entrants makingvapes or other smoking alternatives say flavours are animportant tool in encouraging adult smokers to switch to analternative product.

Eric Gagnon, vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs at Imperial Tobacco Canada, said the company "has publicly and strongly stated multiple times that minors should not have access to any tobacco or nicotine products and that we support measures that prevent underage access."

The WHO said other tactics used by the industry that targetchildren include sponsorship of music and sports festivals, theuse of social media and product placement in TV shows and games.

All of these offer a platform to promote their brands toyounger audiences and in countries wheretraditionaladvertisingis restricted, the WHO said, adding in-person events alsoprovide an opportunity for companies to hand out free samples.