EU directive on E Cigarettes leads to confusion

The European Parliament has recently approved the Tobacco Products Directive which sets the rules for the sale of E cigarettes in Europe from 2016. There are also new rules that ban the sale of 10 packs of cigarettes and small pouches of tobacco – less than 30 grams.

The anticipated regulation on the sale of E Cigarettes, making them all subject to licencing as medicines has not happened as anticipated, perhaps due to last minute policitical lobbying. It was believed that the same regulations that apply to nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gums would be extended to E cigarettes.

It now seems that E cigarettes with a nicotine concentration of less than 20 mg of tobacco will be regulated in the same way as tobacco, so advertising will be banned. Stronger concentrations will be regulated as medicines, so advertising will be permitted under limiting regulations.

Originally posted 2014-03-11 00:00:00.