As policymakers look ahead to 2026, experts from Ireland and the United States share one clear hope for tobacco harm reduction: protect vape flavors.
In this discussion, Dr. Garrett McGovern and AG Tom Miller explains why flavors are critical to keeping adults away from smoking - and why banning them could backfire, leading to higher cigarette use, including among youth. He argues that enforcing age restrictions, not eliminating flavors, is the real solution.
U.S. perspectives echo this view, calling for regulatory clarity, approval of reduced-risk alternatives, and public health efforts that move smokers away from combustible tobacco.