Bulgaria’s Black Market Gift
Bulgaria’s “reckless” and “misguided” ban on all vape products is a gift to the black market, according to harm reduction advocates at the World Vapers’ Alliance
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by Dave Cross
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The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has strongly condemned the Bulgarian Parliament’s “reckless” decision to ban all vaping products. The organisation calls it a “misguided policy”, sparked by a tragic incident involving a black-market THC vape, and that it will only exacerbate the real problem: the unregulated black market for dangerous products.
According to current data, Bulgaria has the highest smoking rate in the European Union - at 37%, 50% higher than the EU average.
The World Vapers’ Alliance says that despite this alarming statistic, Bulgarian politicians have chosen to get rid of a proven harm-reduction tool that has been shown to help smokers quit. Instead of addressing the root cause - illegal and unregulated products - the government has opted for a policy that will push adult vapers back to smoking or into the hands of black market dealers, it adds.
Michael Landl, the Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, stated: “This ban is not just irrational; it’s dangerous. Banning regulated vaping products will not solve the issue of illegal vapes—it will make it worse. The tragic death of a teenager in Pleven was caused by a black-market THC vape, not by legal nicotine products. By banning legal alternatives, Bulgaria is opening the floodgates for more unsafe products to flood the market.”
The World Vapers’ Alliance contends that vapes are not the enemy as “they are the most effective tool many of us have found to quit smoking.”
Due to a lack of support, only 3% of Bulgarians currently use an ecig. Vapes are the most popular method for quitting smoking in the United Kingdom.
“Countries like Sweden, New Zealand and the UK, which embrace harm reduction policies, are on track to achieve the smoke-free goal (<5% smoking rate). At its current trajectory, Bulgaria will never meet this target,” the World Vapers’ Alliance adds.
The World Vapers’ Alliance has sent an open letter to the Bulgarian Members of Parliament, calling on the lawmakers to reconsider “this disastrous policy”.
The organisation says that evidence-based regulations which promote safer alternatives rather than outright bans are essential to reducing smoking rates and protecting public health.
The final vote in the Bulgarian Parliament is expected at the beginning of March.
“This ban is a gift to black market criminals and a death sentence for smokers looking for less harmful alternatives,” Landl added. “Bulgaria deserves better than policies driven by panic instead of evidence.”
The World Vapers’ Alliance says it amplifies the voice of vapers worldwide and advocates for policies that reduce harm from smoking while empowering consumers with safer alternatives.
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Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
