Last month, the Romanian government issued a government decree amending and supplementing the Romanian Tobacco Law (GO23). The ordinance, which ends all flavored and heated tobacco products, will come into effect on October 23, 2023.
Prior to the enactment of the decree under the framework of the Romanian Tobacco Law, only cigarettes and hand-rolled cigarettes were subject to restrictions prohibiting the addition of spices and the inclusion of spices in any of their components, such as filters, paper, packaging, capsules or any component.
Romanian Government Decree No. 23 provides the first legal definition of a “heated tobacco product” : “A new tobacco device that heats tobacco to produce a gas containing nicotine and other chemicals, which is then inhaled by the user and, depending on its characteristics, may be a smokeless tobacco product or a tobacco product intended for smoking.” The Romanian market will no longer allow heated tobacco products with any type of “characteristic flavor”, such as menthol, fruit, etc.
This definition would include any type of tobacco heating device that involves heating tobacco to obtain inhalable gases containing nicotine and other chemicals.
In addition, every unit of heated tobacco products and any outer packaging must carry a mandatory message: “Tobacco smoke contains more than 70 known carcinogens.” The bill also stipulates that every unit package and any outer package of heated tobacco products used for smoking must carry a combined health warning.
All producers and importers of heated tobacco products in Romania must notify the Romanian Ministry of Health within 90 days of the enactment of the bill.
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[1] Romania Bans Flavors for Heated Tobacco Products