Lithuania's New Regulations: Public Display Of Tobacco Products Will Be Banned From 2025

Lithuania's new regulations: Public display of tobacco products will be banned from 2025

Lithuania will ban the public display of tobacco and tobacco-related products and devices at retail locations from 2025, but product displays in tobacco stores and counters are not subject to this restriction.

Recently, the official website of the Lithuanian Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Bureau announced that from the beginning of 2025, Lithuania will implement a revised version of the law on the control of tobacco, tobacco products and related products. The new law amends the retail management regulations for tobacco and related products. According to Article 151 of the law, retail locations will be prohibited from publicly displaying tobacco and tobacco-related products and devices.

This ban does not apply to products sold in tobacco stores and tobacco product counters, which can be sold as long as they are not displayed in the external windows or other external equipment of the store or counter.

In addition, Article 17, paragraph 1 of the law also stipulates a ban on tobacco product advertising. Despite this, retail locations are still allowed to provide some non-advertising information about tobacco products, such as manufacturer information, the names of tobacco products and related equipment sold, and the words "sale" or "for sale", as well as pricing information for single or multiple packs of tobacco products.

According to Article 17, paragraph 6 of the law, such information can only be displayed at places where tobacco products and related equipment are sold, and it is prohibited to publish it in brochures, leaflets and other forms of advertising that consumers can take away. In addition, it is prohibited to provide imitations and images of tobacco products, related products or their individual packages and equipment in retail places. According to Article 17, paragraphs 3 and 5, it is prohibited to display any other unspecified visual or graphic information in retail places.

The Ministry pointed out that the Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania issued an order No. 4-495 on September 23, 2024, which detailed the rules for the presentation of information about tobacco products in retail places, and it will officially come into effect on January 1, 2025.