(MENAFN) Belgium is getting ready to outlaw every vape flavor except tobacco as part of a broader push to stop younger generations from developing nicotine dependence.

Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced the plan on Wednesday after receiving fresh guidance from the Superior Health Council.

Vandenbroucke emphasized that flavored e-cigarettes are intentionally crafted to entice minors and to obscure the possible dangers linked to vaping, according to a news agency.
The Superior Health Council has recently revised its stance on vape regulations.

While the body had once been hesitant about enforcing a full prohibition on flavors, it now endorses tighter restrictions, asserting that safeguarding adolescents takes priority over the potential advantages of permitting certain flavors to support smoking cessation.

New nationwide studies indicate a significant surge in vaping among school-age children in Belgium, with nearly one-third having experimented with e-cigarettes. Weekly consumption among younger individuals is now quadruple what it was half a decade ago.

The government has yet to reveal when the ban will officially take effect. Vandenbroucke stated that he intends to introduce it "as soon as possible."

This forthcoming measure builds on earlier efforts aimed at reducing youth smoking, such as outlawing disposable vapes and imposing limits on smoking in places commonly visited by young people.

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