Czech Ministry of Health plans to ban flavored e-cigarettes, only allow tobacco-flavored products

Czech Ministry of Health plans to ban flavored e-cigarettes, only allow tobacco-flavored products

The Czech Ministry of Health plans to strictly control the sale of e-cigarettes, banning all flavors and only allowing tobacco flavors. The new regulations are expected to take effect next year.

 

According to a recent report by Czech media Expats.cz, the Czech Ministry of Health is planning to implement major reforms on e-cigarettes. The new draft decree aims to ban e-cigarettes with various flavors, which are considered attractive to non-smokers, especially children. The decree is expected to take effect next year.

 

It is reported that the Czech Ministry of Health is preparing a decree on e-cigarettes, focusing mainly on so-called atomizers, which produce smoke by heating e-liquid rather than directly burning tobacco.

 

From honeydew melon to cola to cotton candy, there are many flavors of e-cigarettes on the market. According to the draft decree, only one flavor should actually be allowed: tobacco flavor.

 

"You can say that our goal is to create an e-cigarette that tastes like tobacco."

 

Matyáš Fošum, director of the Public Health Protection Department of the Czech Ministry of Health, explained.

 

The decree limits the specific ingredients in e-cigarettes to 16 specific substances.

 

"You will create a product that only has a certain tobacco flavor. This is so complicated that there is actually no reason for any manufacturer to deal with this category."

 

Robert Hrdlička, president of the Electronic Vaping Association, warned.

 

Manufacturers warn that the changes could cause people to turn to traditional cigarettes again and strengthen the growth of the black market.

 

"We simply do not understand why tariffs on e-cigarettes were introduced a year ago, effective from October 1, 2024, when in fact this decree almost means that e-cigarettes will be almost banned by September 2025."

 

Petr Sobotka, an e-cigarette manufacturer, said.

 

It is reported that the draft decree was created by the Czech Ministry of Health without the knowledge of manufacturers. The Czech Ministry of Health said that this is only a working version and the final form of the decree is still under discussion.