Ukraine is preparing to outlaw the production, import, and sale of vapes. The bill before parliament, No. 13548, would erase this category of products from the legal market. The intent is clear: to protect teenagers from nicotine. But intent doesn’t equal the outcome.
If history is any guide, prohibition will not protect. It will expose young people to illegal products, deny adult smokers safer choices, and erode trust in public health.
Lessons from our own past and public believes
We don’t need to look far for evidence. According to Law No. 1978-IX, which entered into force on July 11, 2023, from July 11, 2024, Ukraine banned the sale of flavored vapes, electronic cigarettes, and liquids for them. But a June 2025 national survey found that 64% of vapers still use flavored products, and 53.7% now mix their own e‑liquids from ingredients, leaning on unsafe DIY vaping. What was meant as a protective measure turned into an incentive for a grey market — one that no health authority can monitor or control.
According to the Kyiv National Institute of Sociology, in Ukraine, 24.5% of the population consumes tobacco and nicotine products daily: 36% of men and 15% of women. While there is a downward trend among men, the prevalence of smoking among women has doubled in 7 years: in 2017, 7% of Ukrainian women were daily smokers.
There are plenty of rising questions here. First of all, if a flavor ban failed, why would a total ban succeed? What is the aftermath of the prohibitionist policy, and what could be done instead?
Surveys also show Ukrainians understand the drawbacks of the ban. Nearly 80% of respondents said bans are ineffective. A significant majority (78.5%) of Ukrainians believe that the government should focus more on educating smokers about quitting and supporting transitions to less harmful alternatives, rather than imposing bans.
Public opinion is not always right. But in this case, it aligns with what the science says: prohibition rarely works.
What the science shows
Globally, the evidence is mounting that vaping, if used as a tool to combat smoking, can save lives. A study published in the Central European Journal of Public Health modeled the impact of vaping across 210 scenarios. In 88% of them, the outcome was positive. The median benefit? More than 3 million life-years saved. Smoking rates stabilized at historically low levels, around 5–6%. In the most realistic scenarios, gains range from 2.73 million to 4.88 million life‑years saved, 3.92% to 6.99 % reduction, and long‑term smoking prevalence stabilizes between 5.56% and 6.40%.
This is not just another fringe opinion. Public Health England, the US National Academies of Sciences, and countless independent experts have concluded that vaping is far less harmful than smoking. For millions of adult smokers, switching to vapes could be the difference between life and death.
Banning these products outright will not erase demand. It will only erase the chance to regulate them safely.
How Ukraine could cut decades from its smoke-free timeline
The Path to Smoke-Free platform highlights three starkly different futures for Ukraine. Under current policies—relying mainly on traditional tools such as taxation, restrictions, and public education—Ukraine would not reach smoke-free status until the year 2104.
But Ukraine does not have to accept this slow trajectory. By adopting the best practices of leading countries like the UK, New Zealand, and Japan, the timeline could be shortened to 2068. Even more striking, if Ukraine were to follow Sweden’s evidence-based approach, the country could become smoke-free as early as 2058—over four decades ahead of the current projection.
The gap between 2058 and 2104 represents thousands of Ukrainian lives. Each year of delay costs roughly 50,000 additional deaths.
The safer alternative
Ukraine’s lawmakers are right to want to reduce underaged vaping. But prohibition is the wrong tool. A stronger, smarter, and more efficient policy would rest on three pillars:
- Smart regulation. Strict enforcement of quality standards, and digital age-verification can keep unsafe products out while allowing safer ones in.
- Public education. Campaigns that are honest about risks and will help people make better choices. Note that campaigns that inform rather than scare build credibility and lead to better results.
- Ongoing monitoring. Policies must be guided by evidence and science, and adjusted as new data emerge, rather than being locked into ineffective bans. Track youth vaping rates, adult cessation trends, illegal markets, and health outcomes. Ukraine needs to keep policies flexible, data-driven, and adaptable.
This approach does not mean being soft on youth protection. It means being realistic about what works, and giving consumers access to safer alternatives.
A choice with consequences
The Ukrainian health system already faces immense pressure. Smoking remains one of the leading preventable causes of death related to health issues. Every policy decision now carries weight for decades to come. In that regard, a total ban may sound decisive. But if it pushes people into black markets and unsafe practices, it is not decisive — it is dangerous.
Ukrainian lawmakers need to align with a growing international consensus that sees harm reduction not as a weakness, but as a way to save lives. They should pass laws that actually work in practice. The future of public health in Ukraine depends on choosing the right path. We need to remember that prohibition is not protection, but smart regulation, education, and evidence clearly are.
* Tetiana Rak is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) at We Are Innovation. A journalist and freedom activist with 8 years of experience, Tania has worked with renowned media outlets including CNN, TechCrunch, Fox News, HackerNoon, the BBC, and Radio Free Europe, among others. Her unwavering dedication to championing the ideas of technological advancements and global digital transformations has earned her a distinguished reputation in the field. Through her work, Tania promotes the ideas of liberty and individual rights as a cornerstone of any rights-respecting society. Strengthened by the experience of war in Ukraine, Tania’s beliefs also stand for promoting technological advancements as the transformative tool to advance liberty, giving people the opportunity to speak, act, and pursue happiness without unnecessary external restrictions.
Source: We Are Innovation
