The Polish Sejm Health Committee has convened to debate a crucial amendment to the national tobacco protection act, aiming to regulate the country’s rapidly growing nicotine pouch market. This legislative push comes after five years of regulatory absence, during which minors could legally purchase these highly addictive products.
Nicotine pouches first entered the Polish market around 2020. Because they do not contain tobacco leaf and are not classified as electronic cigarettes, they have bypassed existing tobacco control laws. This loophole allowed unrestricted sales to youth, unregulated marketing, and unchecked nicotine concentrations.
Dr. Konrad Hennig, program director at the Forum Law for Development (Forum Prawo dla Rozwoju) think tank, warned that some pouches currently contain up to 50 mg of nicotine—nearly ten times the concentration of a standard cigarette. Hennig urged lawmakers to pass the basic bill swiftly without delaying amendments, emphasizing that the European Commission has already cleared the draft during a three-month technical notification period.
The proposed amendment introduces comprehensive restrictions to align nicotine pouches with other regulated nicotine products:
- A complete ban on sales to minors under the age of 18.
- Prohibitions on online sales and vending machine distribution.
- Mandatory health warning labels on all packaging.
- A strict nicotine cap of 20 mg/g and a ban on carcinogenic additives.
This regulatory push follows an October 2024 law that successfully imposed an excise tax on nicotine pouches. The Polish Ministry of Finance expects pouch sales to surge from 200 million units annually to 450 million units by 2027, potentially generating nearly 1 billion PLN in excise duties over the coming years as the market continues to expand.
