Hendrik Streeck, the federal drug commissioner and member of the CDU, defended the planned ban on certain e‑vape ingredients. According to the Rheinische Post, Streeck said that for tobacco products it has long been the rule that highly harmful substances cannot be used and that it is only logical to apply the same standard to liquids. He added that the relevant federal institute has identified 13 substances whose consumption is linked to significant health risks. “When scientific authorities uncover such findings, the state must act” he explained, stressing that the benchmark is the protection of health rather than market demand. Streeck also noted the importance of curbing illegal and uncontrolled markets.
In contrast, the German Cancer Aid called for even stricter measures. Its board member Gerd Nettekoven told the same newspaper that the draft regulation is overdue but falls short. He said that, following the examples of Finland and the Netherlands, the organization demands a comprehensive ban on all flavours that increase the attractiveness of e‑vapour for children and adolescents. “Half‑hearted rules are insufficient to protect young people; e‑vapour poses a serious health risk” he observed.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture had presented a draft regulation in January that would prohibit the use of 12 cooling agents and the sweetener sucralose in e‑vapour products.
