Tobacco-free disposables under the health minister's magnifying glass. The bill in September in the Sejm

According to Izabela Leszczyna, two solutions for novelty products are currently submitted for government work.

- The first is the implementation of a directive that bans characterizing flavors in novelty tobacco products. However, it leaves those also novelty products, namely liquids, without such a restriction. In my opinion, this is disturbing and amounts to a preference for one stimulant, while they are both simply harmful to health. It is very difficult to balance what is less and what is more harmful. The studies that would unequivocally confirm this do not really exist. The directive is already out for consultation. We are going with it to the Diet in September," informs the Health Minister.

The second law prepared by the health ministry is one that prohibits the sale of any such products, including nicotine-free ones, to people under the age of 18. - Those nicotine ones are already forbidden to be sold to minors today. Identical to them, however, are some bizarre electronic cigarettes, no matter whether single or reusable, which pretend to be watermelon or strawberry, are pleasant and do no harm. Meanwhile, they contain chemicals that, when heated and inhaled into the body, are harmful to it. We say: until the age of 18 you can't sell anything of this type to children and young people," the Health Minister points out.

Such products are not only to be subject to sales restrictions, but also to bans on advertising, vending machine sales, and remote sales. The bill is expected to go to the Sejm in September. Another step announced by Izabela Leszczyna will be to extend the ban on the use of characterizing flavors also in nicotine-free products.

- If this problem were to affect even ten children who would reach for nicotine-like products, it would be worth curbing, especially since we are in a situation where "energizers" were banned a while ago. Nothing stands in the way of also banning children from taking poison in the form of nicotine through this route," comments the president of the Supreme Medical Chamber, Lukasz Jankowski.

- I find it hard to accept the fact that young people are reaching for these products, and from the age of 13. Later, once they develop reflexes and habits, they very easily move on to smoking normal cigarettes or novelty tobacco products. Unfortunately, in Poland the trend of young people inhaling or smoking is higher than in other countries," the head of the Health Ministry stressed.