Since January 1, 2025, Latvia has implemented stricter regulations aimed at reducing nicotine consumption, especially among young people. The legal age for buying and selling tobacco and other nicotine products, as well as herbal smoking materials, vaping devices and nicotine pouches, was raised from 18 to 20 years old.
In addition to the age restriction, Latvia has banned all flavors for cartridge vaping products (pods) and disposable electronic cigarettes (puffs), with the exception of tobacco flavor and will reduce the rates of nicotine contained in nicotine sachets[1].
Reduce introduction to these products by young people
One of the key measures of the new regulations is the increase in the legal age at which a person can be sold tobacco and nicotine products. Previously set at 18 years, this threshold has been increased and is now 20 years. Added to this is a minimum age for tobacco consumption or the use of vaping device products, or nicotine sachets as well as herbal smoking articles, also at 20 years. This change is part of Latvia’s strategy to reduce early initiation of smoking and any nicotine-containing products. Raising the age of tobacco sales helps reduce the initiation of smoking among young people by limiting their access to products. This also helps limit initiation through peer influence, which often results in tobacco sharing between adolescents. Vendors who sell these products to people under the age of 20 face fines ranging from 280 to 700 euros, while legal entities can face fines ranging from 700 to 7,100 euros. People under the age of 20 who use these products may receive a warning or a fine of up to 15 euros.
Latvia’s approach reflects a growing trend among EU member states to adopt stronger measures to sustainably reduce smoking and the consumption of new nicotine products among young people. In Europe, Ireland is also preparing to pass legislation that will increase the minimum sales age from 18 to 21.
Workarounds already in force
While public health advocates welcomed these measures, tobacco manufacturers and retailers reacted by trying to find loopholes in the regulations, according to an investigation by the Latvian public television channel, Latvijas Televizija, reported by Euronews[2]. Some companies have therefore offered to sell separate bottles of nicotine and flavors, allowing consumers to mix them independently. This strategy, a priori legal with regard to the texts stricto sensu, however goes against the intention of the legislator and raises questions regarding the difficulties of application. Public health experts are calling on the Latvian government to closely monitor these developments and introduce additional measures to address potential gaps. This type of circumvention nevertheless underlines that partial legislation (in the case of the Latvian law, bottled e-liquids do not fall within the scope of the ban), is in fact little or even ineffective.
For experts, Latvia could serve as a model for similar regulation within the EU. However, they point out that the effectiveness of these measures will depend on rigorous application and the government’s ability to adapt to industry strategies aimed at circumventing the rules.
-©Tobacco Free Generation
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[1] Tobacco products with flavorings are prohibited in Latvia; smoking will be allowed from the age of 20, Delfi 25, publié le 1er janvier 2025, consulté le 6 janvier 2025
[2] Roselyn Min, Tobacco sellers in Latvia scramble to find loopholes to circumvent new ban on products and vapes, Euronews, published December 31, 2024, accessed January 6, 2025
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