Poland to Ban E-cigarette Sales Starting from 2025

According to a report from Telepolis on June 17, the sale of e-cigarettes will be banned in Poland, but this policy will not be implemented until 2025. Currently, the relevant laws are being drafted, but progress has been delayed due to necessary negotiations.

During Monday's (17th) press conference, Poland's Ministry of Health, Izabela Leszczyna, announced that legislation is being drafted to ban e-cigarettes, but it will not come into effect until early 2025. Originally planned to be implemented at the start of the summer holiday, the work on this legislation has been extended due to the need to comply with European Union directives. These directives include defining heated tobacco products and prohibiting the use of specific flavorings in new types of heated tobacco products.

I really hope that this bill can go into effect before the summer break. However, it has been proven that the bill must go through a notification procedure. We are unsure of how long this procedure will last, so the actual effective date of the bill may be delayed until early next year.

Currently, the minister has three legislative proposals on his desk, one of which is already in the negotiation stage for implementing EU directives, while the other two concern sales regulations. The minister mentioned that one of these projects will enter the negotiation stage by the end of this weekend.

Lyczkina warned in May that implementing a ban through legal means is a legislative process that requires approval from the European Union and can take several months to complete, so Poland cannot immediately enforce a ban like the United Kingdom.

According to a survey conducted by the Shenzhen branch of the Lung Cancer Prevention and Control Association in December 2023 and January 2024, results showed that out of every 10 elementary and middle school students, 6 students smoke or use nicotine-containing products daily or occasionally.

The surveys we have conducted show that e-cigarettes have permanently replaced traditional cigarettes in Polish schools. It is increasingly common for students to use disposable e-cigarettes with sweet or fruity flavors that smell fragrant and taste good. Seventy percent of students who use e-cigarettes believe that taste and smell are the two main reasons why e-cigarettes are popular.

Although Poland has long had restrictions on the sale of tobacco products to minors, this has not yielded the desired effect. The upcoming e-cigarette ban may help improve this situation.