By Ayomide Otitoju
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments worldwide to impose an urgent ban on all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products—including cigarettes, pouches, hookahs, and e-cigarettes—in a bid to shield young people from addiction and preventable disease.
The appeal was issued on Thursday alongside the release of a new WHO report titled “Flavour Accessories in Tobacco Products Enhance Attractiveness and Appeal.” The report exposes how tobacco companies are using flavourings and accessories—such as menthol, bubble gum, cotton candy, capsule filters, and click-on flavour drops—to market harmful products as appealing and user-friendly, particularly to youth.
“Flavours are fuelling a new wave of addiction and should be banned,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “They undermine decades of progress in tobacco control. Without bold action, the global tobacco epidemic—already killing around 8 million people annually—will continue to be driven by addiction dressed up with appealing flavours.”
According to WHO, these sweet and minty flavourings disguise the harshness of tobacco and nicotine, making the products more palatable to young, first-time users. The organization warns that these additives not only increase the likelihood of addiction but also complicate cessation efforts and are associated with serious health risks, including lung disease.
While traditional cigarettes remain a leading cause of preventable death globally—responsible for up to half of all long-term users’ deaths—many still contain or allow the addition of flavourings, WHO noted. The report highlights how flavour accessories are being used to skirt regulations and attract new consumers, often in low- and middle-income countries with weaker enforcement mechanisms.
WHO’s latest push builds on years of advocacy for stricter tobacco regulation under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and it urges governments to implement comprehensive flavour bans as part of broader tobacco control efforts.
“Protecting youth from the dangers of tobacco and nicotine products requires firm legislative action,” the report concludes, warning that failure to act could entrench addiction in a new generation and reverse hard-won public health gains.
