The Polish Ministry of Health has concluded its 30-day public consultation on a draft amendment to ban the sale of characteristically flavored heated tobacco products. This regulatory push, which implements a June 2022 European Union directive, aims to reduce nicotine consumption, particularly among young people, by eliminating appealing flavors.
Under the proposed legislation, “heated tobacco products” are legally defined as novel tobacco products that emit nicotine and other chemicals via heating rather than combustion. The amendment will prohibit “characteristic flavors” for these devices, mirroring bans already in place for traditional cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco.
According to the Ministry of Health, heated tobacco products are currently used by 1.5% of adult Poles. Data shows that flavor bans are highly effective at reducing smoking rates; when flavored cigarettes were previously banned, 11.6% of smokers quit. However, 8.8% of those smokers—predominantly young adults aged 18 to 34—switched to heated tobacco or e-cigarettes instead.
In addition to the flavor ban, the bill introduces strict reporting requirements. Manufacturers and importers of novel tobacco products must immediately submit all research, analyses, and updated product information to the Bureau for Chemical Substances to ensure comprehensive public health monitoring.
The proposed ban has met fierce resistance from the Polish Association of Tobacco Growers (PZPT). Przemysław Noworyta, the association’s director, criticized the government for rushing the implementation of an EU directive that is currently being legally challenged at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
Noworyta warned that the ban would devastate local agriculture, as the future of European tobacco farming is heavily reliant on the growing heated tobacco segment. Because traditional smoking is declining, farmers rely on supplying tobacco for heated alternatives, which will see a massive demand drop if 80% of the market is outlawed.
The draft bill is slated to take effect three months after its official publication, giving manufacturers a brief window to liquidate their existing flavored inventory.
