Polish Minister Of Health: From 2025, Minors Will Be Prohibited From Using E-cigarettes, Including Nicotine-free E-liquid Products

Polish Minister of Health: From 2025, minors will be prohibited from using e-cigarettes, including nicotine-free e-liquid products

Polish Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna announced plans to ban the sale of all e-cigarette products, including nicotine-free e-liquid products, to people under the age of 18 from January 1, 2025. The draft of the revised Tobacco Law aims to reduce the use of e-cigarettes by young people and expand the scope of the ban.

According to Portal Samorzadowy on July 25, Polish Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna said on Polsat News on Thursday (25th) that she hopes to ban the sale of all e-cigarette products to people under the age of 18 from January 1, 2025.

"Of course those with nicotine are already banned, but in reality these e-cigarettes are no different, they all pretend to be watermelon or strawberry flavored."

"That's why we say: no sales on the Internet, no advertising in any vending machine. We don't sell products to people under 18 years old... so that our children, our teenagers don't fall into this terrible addiction."

The draft amendment to the Law on Protection of Health from the Consequences of the Use of Tobacco and Tobacco Products is under public comment. The drafters stressed that the amendment to the Law on Protection of Health from the Consequences of the Use of Tobacco and Tobacco Products of November 9, 1995 (the Tobacco Law) is necessary because of the urgent need to reduce the use of e-cigarettes by young people.

Currently, e-cigarettes and spare containers filled with nicotine-free e-liquid do not meet the definition of e-cigarettes or spare containers under the Tobacco Law. The provisions of the draft amendment are intended to bring so-called nicotine-free e-liquids into legal provisions.

This will lead to a ban on the sale of these products to people under 18 years old, restrictions on the places where these products can be used, a ban on sales in vending machines and remote sales (including via the Internet), and a ban on advertising and promotion. In addition, the draft amendment requires that information about these products be reported to the Director of the Chemical Substances Management Agency, that their ingredients comply with legal provisions (such as prohibiting the use of substances with CMR properties), and that their packaging must be properly labeled.

The project description states that the threat posed by "nicotine-free e-liquids" is no less than that of products containing nicotine. "The popularity of nicotine-free products increases the risk of young people being exposed to tobacco products, just like nicotine-containing e-cigarettes."

The bill will take effect three months after publication.