Poland Faces High Teen E-cigarette Usage, Urgent Ban Needed

According to Polish media outlet WiadomosciHandlowe, on the evening of May 20th, Poland has become the country with the highest teenage e-cigarette usage rates worldwide. However, despite the threat, there is currently no legislation in place to ban the sale of e-cigarettes domestically.

The Polish Ministry of Health is currently studying a policy to ban disposable e-cigarettes. Data shows that the youth in Poland are facing significant health risks due to the use of these products. Although the department obtained alarming data in February this year, the proposed reforms for the policy have not been completed yet, and verbal promises cannot solve the actual problems.

At least one quarter has passed, and the Health Department is still "analyzing the feasibility of implementing effective legislative solutions." According to statistics, the Health Department has been aware of this data since February 2024.

In 2022, approximately 23.4% of girls and 21.2% of boys aged 13-15 in Poland used e-cigarettes. The frequency of e-cigarette use among Polish teenagers is leading among European Union countries. The Ministry of Health acknowledges this and assures that "actions to restrict young people's access to e-cigarettes align with public health protection measures to prevent the consequences of tobacco-related diseases.

As for the sales volume of disposable e-cigarettes, a total of 19,525,600 units were sold in 2022. Additionally, the number of products reported to the chemical office reached 6,550 in 2022 and increased to 6,906 in 2023.

Another striking piece of information comes from a report by the World Health Organization on e-cigarette usage. The report, prepared for the WHO Summit, highlights Poland as the country with the highest rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents globally. The proportion of 15-19 year olds who have tried e-cigarettes has increased from 16.8% to 62.1%. The data in this report is current as of February 2024.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health successfully revised legislation to ban the sale of e-cigarette e-liquid. However, the issue of teenagers has not yet been resolved. The draft legislation has not yet been introduced, and there are only two more sessions of the House of Commons before the summer break.

It is worth mentioning that during the February winter break this year, Polish media extensively reported on a vending machine selling disposable e-cigarettes located next to a children's playground in Zakopane. Witnesses claimed that many children were purchasing e-cigarettes from the machine. At the time, the Ministry of Health strongly assured that regulations banning the sale of these products would be implemented before the summer vacation.

According to CMR statistics, Poland sold more than 100 million disposable e-cigarettes in 2023. This is a significant increase from the previous year, when sales were only 32 million.