Following a warning from the Poison Line: Minister wants to look into efforts against puff bars
The Minister for Health and Church Affairs will take up the sale of illegal puff bars with the Minister for Justice and investigate whether the authorities have strong enough tools.
Ida Auken (A) took office as Minister for Health and Church Affairs in June. (Photo: © Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/Hanne Høier/DR) 53 minutes ago
Minister for Health and Church Affairs Ida Auken (S) will now take up the matter of illegal puff bars with Minister for Justice Nicolai Wammen (S).
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> Of course we must stop puff bars, wherever they appear
> Ida Auken (A), Minister for Health and Church Affairs
The Poison Line warns that puff bars can contain dangerous substances that can lead to, among other things, organ failure and psychosis. And the problem is that you cannot necessarily see from the packaging what they contain.
According to Ida Auken, the goal is to stop the sale of the small e-cigarettes, which are often added sweet flavours and can have a high nicotine content.
- Unfortunately, you can see that these puff bars are spreading. I have children myself in that age group who are contacted by what you might call pushers who want to sell this, she says.
Puff bars are sold, among other places, via profiles on the internet. Therefore, Ida Auken believes a broader effort is needed against those selling the products.
- We need to look at whether we have strong enough tools to go after those who sell these puff bars. We can ensure we have the means to control it and go after getting these profiles shut down, she says.
According to the minister, it is about both control and hitting those who make money from the sale.
- It is a very big task, because there are a lot of people out there who want to make money from children's ruined health, she says.
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Puff bars as travel goods
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Puff bars with flavours other than tobacco or menthol are illegal, and the liquid in a puff bar may contain a maximum of 20 mg nicotine per ml.
But according to the Danish Business Authority, you are allowed to bring up to ten puff bars with nicotine and with flavours other than menthol or tobacco home from holiday as travel goods (https://www.sik.dk/nyheder/man-maa-hoejest-have-10-puff-bars-hjem-ferie), but only if the products are for personal use. You may not order them home over the internet.
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> This is something we will be fighting with for the next many years, and I think
> that harsh penalties are also one of the important tools
> Ida Auken (S), Minister for Health and Church Affairs
It comes as a surprise to Minister for Health and Church Affairs Ida Auken that puff bars with nicotine and sweet flavours can in some cases legally be brought across the border.
- That is certainly new to me.
- It is clearly one of the things we will look into, she says.
According to the minister, that possibility risks undermining the effort to limit the sale of puff bars in Denmark.
- If you can say that you just came across the border with them, it undermines our own effort. Of course we must stop puff bars, wherever they appear, she says.
Therefore, she will take up the issue with, among others, Minister for Justice Nicolai Wammen.
- We have a very close dialogue with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Business about stopping this sale and going after those who sell it. And this is clearly an area we also need to start talking about, she says.
Here, harsher penalties may be one of the tools to be discussed.
- This is something we will be fighting with for the next many years, and I think that harsh penalties are also one of the important tools, she says.
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