Ukraine: Parliament wants to ban flavored heated tobacco products

A bill was submitted to the Rada, the Ukrainian parliament, on April 20 to propose a ban on the sale of heated tobacco products containing flavors. The proposal is part of the country's recent efforts to combat the prevalence of smoking and the growth of new tobacco products.

Submitted on April 20, 2023 under number 9227, this bill supported by 24 deputies of the Servant of the People party of President Volodymyr Zelensky aims to prohibit the production, wholesale and retail trade and import for sale in Ukraine of following products[1] :

• Heated tobacco products with flavored tastes.
• Heated tobacco products containing aromatic additives, whether in the product or in its components such as the filter, paper, packaging, capsule, or any element “having technical characteristics enabling the odor or taste” of the products to be modified.

Recent strengthening of tobacco control measures in Ukraine

This bill is part of the Ukrainian authorities' desire to combat the prevalence of smoking and vaping. Since the end of the USSR, the country has made significant efforts to reduce tobacco consumption among its population.[2]The smoking prevalence rate, which was 34 % in 2000, fell to 28 % in 2015, with a forecast of a decline to 24 % by 2025.[3].

In 2021, Ukraine had already passed a law to ban flavors in cigarettes, rolling tobacco, and e-cigarettes effective from July 2023. A law enacted in January 2022 banned smoking and using e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces. In addition, it prohibits advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of any tobacco and vaping products. [6].

In 2021, Ukraine also increased taxes on heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes to prevent the increase in consumption of these products among young people. The country has finally planned a fiscal trajectory of an annual tax increase of 20% on vaping products, similar to that on cigarette packs over the period 2022-2025.[7].

Keywords: Ukraine, Tobacco, Prevalence, new tobacco products, smoking.

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[1] Verkhovna Rada To Ban Tobacco Sticks For IQOS With Taste And Aroma Additives, Ukrainian News, April 21, 2023,.

[2] In Ukraine, the tobacco industry fights back, Tobacco Free Generation, February 9, 2021

[3] Smoking, vaping, HTP, NRT and snus in Ukraine, Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction.

[4] Ukraine Smoking Rate 2000-2023, Macrotrends.

[5] E-cigarette vaping in Ukraine, Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction.

[6] Ukraine's New Tobacco Control Law Will Drive Down Smoking Rates and Save Lives, Tobacco Free Kids, January 6, 2022.

[7] Ukraine increased taxes on heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, Smoke Free Partnership, January 15, 2021.