​Heated tobacco products contain flavorings “in any of their components, such as filters, paper, packaging, capsules or any technical properties that allow changing the smell or taste of tobacco products, as well as changing the intensity of their burning.” banned in Romania, an emergency decree passed on Thursday provides. Essentially, the ban that already exists on cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco now extends to heated tobacco. Also, heated tobacco products will be marked with pictograms warning about the risks of smoking, similar to classic cigarettes.

The new rules are aimed at “correctly informing consumers about the consequences of using heated tobacco products by introducing the obligation of appropriate labeling,” the Ministry of Health notes.

What’s new in today’s decree on emergency situations:

• extends to heated tobacco products the ban on placing on the market products with a characteristic taste or aromas in any of their components, such as filters, paper, packaging, capsules or any technical properties that allow changing the smell or taste of tobacco products. , as well as a change in the intensity of their burning. These bans already exist for cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco.

• provides for additional labeling with pictograms of heated tobacco products, if they are tobacco products for smoking (burning). According to the European Directive, the mandatory labeling for heated tobacco products is different depending on the presence or absence of the combustion process.

• provides for the need to notify the Ministry of Health about heated tobacco products, as they are tobacco products for smoking (burning).

Impressive growth in sales of heated tobacco products in Europe

The adoption of the regulatory act is due to the increase in sales of heated tobacco products, which exceeded 2.5% of the total volume of sales of tobacco products at the level of the European Union, according to the Ministry of Health.

The direct beneficiaries of the regulation are adults and young people who used/use e-cigarettes or electronic devices.

According to the OECD/EU Health at a Glance 2022 Report, in 2019, adults who use e-cigarettes or similar electronic devices on a daily or occasional basis accounted for approximately 2% of the total population.

According to the INS study, 19% of adults smoke e-cigarettes or electronic devices.

According to a WHO report published in 2023, more than 43,600 Romanians died in Romania in 2019 from diseases caused by smoking. Of these deaths, nearly 21,000 died from tobacco-related cardiovascular disease, and more than 15,000 from cancer, with the remainder from respiratory diseases.