From May 1, 2023, Finland: vape products to be “arrived in neutral packaging”

Like tobacco products, vape products will be “package-neutral” as of May 1, 2023.

After the ban on flavoring and taxation ……
In 1976, Finland officially launched the fight against smoking with its new legislation called the Tobacco Act. It has been amended several times since then, with its last amendment (PDF) dating back to May 1, 2022. An amendment that profoundly changed the regulation of vaping in the country. Specifically, the government chose to make no or little distinction between traditional tobacco products (cigarettes, etc.) and vaping products. As a result, personal vaporizers are forced to comply with particularly stringent regulations.

As a result, in addition to complying with the measures introduced by the TPD, e-cigarettes and their e-liquids must be sold in flat pack form as of 1 January 2023. This packaging must contain a list of the ingredients contained in the product, an indication of the amount of nicotine in the product and the amount per vape, the manufacturer’s lot number, and recommendations for keeping the product out of the reach of children. A health warning in Finnish and Swedish, a leaflet containing information about the product and its use, and contact information in case of questions.

Section 36(4) of the Tobacco Act also states that “other provisions relating to the text, font, and font size, color, surface, position and other characteristics of the health warning, as well as the information to be included in the notice” paragraph “shall be issued by decree of the Ministry of Health.

The preamble of the new law clearly states that its goal is to “eliminate the use of tobacco products and other products containing nicotine that are toxic and addictive to humans” and to promote “the cessation of the consumption of tobacco products and similar products.

The legislation contradicts numerous scientific studies that have shown the effectiveness of vaping in smoking cessation1 and their less harmful effects compared to smoking2, 3, 4, 5 .

The law is silent on flavors, which have been banned since 2017, a year that also saw a 30 cents per milliliter tax on e-liquids.

1 Hartmann-Boyce J, McRobbie H, Lindson N, Bullen C, Begh R, Theodoulou A, Notley C, Rigotti NA, Turner T, Butler AR, Hajek P. Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. cochrane systematic reviews database 2020, no. 10. Art. No. CD010216. doi: 10.1002/14651858.cd010216.pub4.

2 Britton, J. and I. Bogdanovica, Electronic cigarettes: a report commissioned by the UK Department of Public Health. London: UK Department of Public Health, 2014.

3 McNeill A, Brose LS, Calder R, Hitchman SC, Hajek P, McRobbie H: E-cigarettes: evidence update – report commissioned by the UK Department of Public Health, 2015.

4 Nutt, DJ, et al., Estimating the harms of nicotine-containing products using the MCDA approach.European addiction research, 2014. 20(5): p. 218-225.

5 Hajek, P., et al., Electronic cigarettes: review of use, content, safety, effects on smokers and potential for harm and benefit.Addiction, 2014. 109( 11): p. 1801-1810.