The end of disposable e-cigarettes in Poland. Radical project submitted for consultation

On Wednesday, June 11, the Government Legislation Centre published a Draft Amendment to the Act on Health Protection against the Consequences of Using Tobacco and Tobacco Products.

This is a radical proposal to completely ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes in Poland.

In the Regulatory Impact Assessment, the Ministry of Health indicated that "the proposed regulation results from the need to further limit the use of single-use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) not only by persons under 18 years of age, but also by adults".

"Electronic cigarettes, both those with nicotine and those containing other substances, are products that clearly pose a threat to public health. These are products containing a highly addictive substance and other accompanying substances absorbed into the human body with unexplored effects on the health of people using the products," the ministry explains.

The Ministry emphasizes that disposable e-cigarettes are "attractive and perceived as not posing a health risk. These products increase the accessibility of using harmful substances due to the fact that they are ready to use immediately after purchase and do not require prior preparation. The risk of such products existing on the market is particularly high for the young generation and non-smokers, and results, among other things, from the presence of nicotine, which is a strongly psychoactive and addictive substance." The Ministry points to the harmful health effects.

The argument is also that disposable e-cigarettes "are more harmful to the environment due to the fact that they are made of plastic and contain lithium-ion batteries, which are difficult to recycle."

The Ministry refers to information from the National Institute of Public Health PZH – National Research Institute (NIZP PZH-PIB) that since their introduction to the market, disposable e-cigarettes have enjoyed the greatest popularity among young people, most often in the age group of 18–24 years and younger. It is worth noting that a significant number of users declared their first use under the age of 18.

The project also provides for a ban on the use of flavors characteristic of nicotine pouches, because young people most often reach for such flavored pouches. "The possibility of selling only products containing ingredients that give only and exclusively the smell or taste of tobacco should be maintained," we read in the OSR.

On Wednesday morning, during a meeting of the Senate Health Committee, which supported another bill restricting access to e-cigarettes for young people , Deputy Health Minister Wojciech Konieczny announced another project concerning disposable e-cigarettes.

As he said, it will require notification to the European Commission, which will take about a year. He recalled that Belgium has already received such notification, which it had been waiting for for two years, so now the process should go a bit faster.

Recently, during a discussion in the Sejm, he pointed out that from July, financial accessibility for young people will be limited, because the excise tax on the liquid for these products will increase significantly.

Then - as he calculated - the price of a disposable e-cigarette will jump from PLN 30 to PLN 80-90 per unit.

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