Lithuania’s Flavor Prohibition Takes Effect July 1st

The Lithuanian Seimas (parliament) has finalized a law prohibiting the sale of vaping products in non-tobacco flavors. The flavor prohibition applies to all products, including those not containing nicotine.The legislation—which amends the country’s existing Law on Control of Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Related Products—passed by a 92-9 vote (with nine members abstaining), according to LRT. The ban will take effect July 1.

As we reported last year, the Lithuanian government notified the European Union of its intention to ban flavors in summer 2021, and allowed public comment on its draft law until Oct. 11. The Seimas began debating a flavor ban in 2020. Lawmakers decided to prohibit flavors in non-nicotine e-liquid to prevent vapers from using short fills and nicotine shots to bypass the intention of the law.

Lithuania becomes the seventh European country to pass a flavor ban. Estonia, Finland, Hungary and Ukraine have flavor restrictions in place currently. Flavor bans will take effect in Denmark in April and the Netherlands in July. No European country has an outright ban on all vape product sales.Lithuania is located between Latvia, Belarus and Poland, and is one of the smallest EU countries with just under three million residents. About 28 percent of Lithuania’s adults smoke cigarettes—one of the highest smoking rates in the EU.