German Cancer Research Center: E-cigarettes
are no longer a marginal phenomenon in Germany. They are being sold and
advertised in this country on the internet, at gas stations and kiosks,
and in supermarkets, like cigarettes made of tobacco. A new publication
from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches
Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) now documents the marketing of
e-cigarettes on the internet, on TV, at sports events, fairs and sales
locations. The publication reports that e-cigarette advertising targets
not only adults but also youth. The topic will be a focus when about 250
experts and policy-makers from ten countries meet for the 12th
Conference on Tobacco Control at the German Cancer Research Center on
December 3-4, 2014.
Pictures of fruit, colorful packages and “fantastic
flavors” on e-cigarette packaging suggest a harmless product. Such
designs resemble those used in the marketing of candy, and advertising
slogans such as “shisha to go” for e-cigarettes with a special
mouthpiece suggest that consumers can use them easily on the go.
“Brightly colored and rhinestone-covered devices and flavors such as
‘tutti frutti’ or ‘chocolate’ seduce kids and teens to try out
e-cigarettes,” says Dr. Martina Pötschke-Langer, head of DKFZ’s Cancer
Prevention Unit and editor of the current publication. Manufacturers of
e-cigarettes advertise their products with pictures showing attractive
young women and men in situations such as parties, at bars, or on
adventures that particularly appeal to young people. Manufacturers also
make direct contact with potential new consumers at fairs, music
festivals, and other events that are particularly popular among youth.
On the internet young people are invited to shoot their own videos
showing how they use electronic cigarettes and to share them online, an
attempt to build a sense of community among users.
In Germany,
the advertising of e-cigarettes has not yet been subjected to
regulation. By spring 2016 at the latest, when the EU Guideline on
Tobacco Products will have been transferred into German law, the
practices will be restricted in the same way as tobacco products. But
even then it will still be possible to advertise e-cigarettes (like
tobacco products) on large posters, at festivals and at other places
where they are marketed – which will provide ample opportunities to lure
young first consumers into their first use of a product whose effects
on health are a subject of concern.
“For public health, e-cigarettes present a greater potential for harm
than for benefits, because they endanger previous achievements in
tobacco prevention among youth,” says Pötschke-Langer. Therefore, the
DKFZ calls for strict regulation of e-cigarettes. Appropriate measures
would include, for example, bans on selling e-cigarettes to youth and a
comprehensive ban on the advertising of electronic cigarettes and
tobacco products alike.
The publication is available at:
http://www.dkfz.de/de/tabakkontrolle/Rote_Reihe_Tabakpraevention_und_Tabakkontrolle.html