Smoking in Belgium
The overall smoking prevalence in Belgium has decreased a small amount since 2006. 25% of the adult population in Belgium are current smokers, down from 26% in 2006. This means there are now approximately 2.4 million smokers in the country. 26.9% of men smoke and for women the figure is 23.1%. The most recent data show there were 18,736 annual deaths from tobacco-smoking related diseases (approximately 5,500 women and 13,200 men). The annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking was 19.56% (women: 9.6%; and men: 23.7%). Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in Belgium and there are 305,200 vapers in the country, giving an adult vaping prevalence of 3.16%. There is a requirement to ensure vape packaging contains a health warning, and they can only be sold to those 18 and older. Vaping devices can be purchased without a prescription but there are legal restrictions on their use in public places. There is no specific law on heated tobacco products and the situation is quite complicated for snus. While it is illegal to import snus for trade or buy the product online, it is possible to import it for personal use. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can be marketed and it is available to buy in pharmacies without a prescription. The NRT market in Belgium is worth €18.7 million. For further information and full references, click through to the detailed datasheets above.
Read articles from Belgium
March 08, 2021 by biomedcentral.com
Electronic cigarettes in standard smoking cessation treatment by tobacco counselors in Flanders: [...]
This interventional-cohort study tried to answer if people who smoke and choose an e-cigarette in the context of smoking cessation treatment by tobacco counselors in Flanders are achieving smoking abstinence and how they compare to clients who opt for commonly recommended (or no) aids (nicotine replacement therapy, smoking cessation medication). Participants were recruited by tobacco counselors. They followed smoking cessation treatment (in group) for 2 months. At several times during treatment and 7 months after quit date, participants were asked to fill out questionnaires and to perform eCO measurements.
October 02, 2020 by brusselstimes.com
Belgium’s vaping law ‘still too vague’, Sciensano warns
The law regulating the use of electronic cigarettes is still too vague, the Sciensano public health institute reports on Thursday.
The law “imposes restrictions only on the presence of nicotines in e-liquids. Other substances are not explicitly banned and therefore we still often find them,” Sciensano said. “These are nicotine impurities, volatile organic compounds and diacetyl and acetyl propionyl flavour enhancers. The latter are safe in food but can be harmful when inhaled over long periods of time,” said Sophia Barhdadi, a researcher at Sciensano, based on sample analyses.
February 05, 2020 by brusselstimes.com
Belgium will ban all tobacco advertising fromfe 2021
All forms of tobacco advertising in Belgium will be banned from January 2021.
Currently, newsagent’s shops are still allowed to advertise tobacco products in the store, and on the facades. However, the parliament voted unanimously that all these forms of advertising will also be abolished, reports VRT.
Most of the advertising for tobacco products has been banned since 1999. The government’s aim is to discourage smoking as it is still the main cause of lung cancers that every person can choose to avoid. However, the legislation still allowed a few exceptions.
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