WHO Urges Global Ban on Flavoured Tobacco, Nicotine Products

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on governments worldwide to urgently ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products, warning that they pose a serious threat to young people’s health and are driving a new wave of nicotine addiction.

In a new report released earlier, WHO urged bans on flavours in cigarettes, pouches, hookahs, and e-cigarettes, stating that flavouring agents—ranging from menthol to bubble gum—mask the harshness of harmful products and increase their appeal to youth.

“Flavours are fuelling a new wave of addiction, and should be banned,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“They undermine decades of progress in tobacco control. Without bold action, the global tobacco epidemic, already killing around 8 million people each year, will continue to be driven by addiction dressed up with appealing flavours,” he added.

The WHO publication, Flavour accessories in tobacco products enhance attractiveness and appeal, exposes how flavour accessories like capsule filters and click-on drops are used to bypass regulations and attract new users.

The report highlights how these accessories are especially effective at luring children and adolescents, who are drawn to flavoured products combined with colourful packaging and viral social media marketing.

“We are watching a generation get hooked on nicotine through gummy bear-flavoured pouches and rainbow-coloured vapes,” said Dr. Rüdiger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion.

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

Despite increasing regulation, WHO notes that only 50 countries have fully banned flavoured tobacco products, and just seven ban e-cigarette flavours.

While over 40 countries ban e-cigarette sales outright, flavour accessories remain largely unregulated globally, allowing the industry to exploit loopholes.

Countries such as Belgium, Denmark, and Lithuania have adopted stronger regulations, and WHO is urging others to follow suit to protect public health.

According to WHO, flavours are one of the top reasons young people try nicotine products, especially as they are often packaged to resemble candy or consumer electronics.

The agency warns that both traditional and emerging products, including heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, contain carcinogenic chemicals and should be tightly controlled.

The 2025 World No Tobacco Day campaign, launched alongside the report, honors governments, youth activists, and civil society leaders resisting tobacco industry interference.

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

WHO insists that urgent regulation is needed to prevent addiction and disease, particularly among vulnerable youth populations.

With the tobacco industry claiming 8 million lives annually, WHO said flavours and the marketing tactics surrounding them have no place in public health policy.