With the rise in production and marketing of hybrid tobacco products, such as the heated-not-burned products, ENSP would like to highlight the legislative issues and health risks related to these new tobacco products.

Heated-not-burned products, like the IQOS, which has been launched by Phillip Morris International in Japan, Italy, Switzerland most recently in the UK, consist of small tobacco sticks, which are heated instead of burned.

There is still insufficient scientific evidence as to the health risks of using these products, which is why ENSP recommends a cautious approach. As the heated-not-burned products contain tobacco, they should be considered similar to cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and roll-your-own tobacco and treated as such under the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).

In an answer to a written question from Member of the European Parliament Frédérique Ries (ALDE), EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, highlights that:

“…with regard to the sale, presentation and manufacturing of [new tobacco products, including “heated not burned” tobacco products] within the European Union, the relevant provisions of the Tobacco Products Directive [1] apply and should be enforced. This includes the ban on misleading elements foreseen by Article 13 and notably any suggestions that a particular tobacco product is less harmful than others. The Commission oversees whether Member States fully and correctly apply the provisions of the Directive.”

1. Directive 2014/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products and repealing Directive 2001/37/EC (OJ L 127, 29.4.2014, p.1).

Read full written question and answer

Image credit: vaping360.com/iqos-philip-morris//e-cigarettes/ (Vaping360)