The Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament) has passed a law recently that will prohibit the production and sales of flavoured e-liquid as of July 1st 2022. Tobacco flavoured vape will remain an exception and this will still be available across the country. The flavour ban has been applied to all products, including those that don’t contain nicotine.
In January 2022, Lithuanian MPs voted on amendments to the Law on Control of Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Related Products with 92 votes in favour, 9 against, and 9 abstentions according to LRT.
The Lithuanian government has informed the European Union of its intention to ban flavours in e-cigarette products in summer 2021. The debate to bring in the ban had begun in 2020.
The law has been introduced as an attempt to reduce sales of e-cigarettes that are growing popular in Lithuania. Lawmakers have decided to prohibit flavours in non-nicotine e-liquid to prevent vapers from using short fills and nicotine shots to bypass the intention of the law.
This makes Lithuania the seventh European country to pass a flavour ban. Finland, Ukraine, Estonia, and Hungary have flavour restrictions in place currently. Flavour bans will be introduced in Denmark in April and the Netherlands in July.
Lithuania is one of the smallest European countries with just under 3 million residents. Almost 30 percent of Lithuania’s adults smoke cigarettes, this gives Lithuania one of the highest smoking rates in the EU.
