European Union states and lawmakers agreed on Wednesday to regulate the booming e-cigarette market and discourage smoking by increasing the size of health warnings on packets.
The sale of increasingly popular e-cigarettes will continue to be authorised although countries that classify them as medicinal products will be able to restrict their sale to pharmacies only.
After intensive lobbying from the relatively new electronic-cigarette industry, the European Parliament had refused to restricted their sale to pharmacies across the 28-nation bloc.
However nicotine content in both the devices and refills will be regulated and the European Commission will have to provide a report on potential health risks two years after the EU's anti-smoking measures come into effect.
About seven million Europeans have turned to e-cigarettes in the last four years.
The law, which must still be formally approved by the parliament and member states, will force tobacco firms to cover 65 percent of the packaging with health warnings.
With 70 percent of smokers beginning before the age of 18, and 94 percent before the age of 25, the new legislation aims especially to make cigarettes less attractive to youngsters.
Almost 700,000 Europeans die from tobacco-related illnesses each year—equal to the population of Frankfurt or Palermo—with associated health costs running at more than 25 billion euros ($34 billion euros).
Explore further: Europe's tobacconists march against EU smoking crackdown
© 2013 AFP
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
Europe's tobacconists march against EU smoking crackdown
Jan 22, 2013
Thousands of tobacconists from across Europe marched on European Union headquarters on Tuesday to protest against a planned EU crackdown on smoking that includes grueseome health warnings placarded on packets.
EU lawmakers to push ahead with anti-tobacco plans (Update)
Oct 08, 2013
European lawmakers on Tuesday were set to tighten rules governing the multibillion-dollar tobacco market by imposing bigger and bolder warnings on cigarette packs, banning most flavorings like menthol and strengthening regulation ...
EU Parliament clears tough new anti-smoking rules (Update 2)
Oct 08, 2013
European lawmakers approved sweeping new regulations governing the multibillion-dollar tobacco market on Tuesday, including bigger drastic health warnings on cigarette packs and a ban on menthol and other flavorings to further ...
E-cigarette makers go to war over EU proposals
Sep 03, 2013
Makers and users of electronic cigarettes Tuesday went to war against EU plans to class the devices as medicinal products, saying any such move would end up harming public health.
Europe and electronic cigarettes
Jun 01, 2013
France said on Friday it would apply the same bans to electronic cigarettes as it does to tobacco but would not completely outlaw the popular smokeless product. ...
Recommended for you
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reinforces importance of food, not supplements
2 seconds ago
While dietary supplements can help some people meet their nutrition needs, eating a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods is the best way for most people to obtain the nutrients they need to be healthy and reduce their risk ...
Southampton researchers help develop smart bra to measure mood to prevent over-eating
20 minutes ago
M.C. Schraefel, a professor in computer science and human performance design from the University of Southampton has helped to design a smart bra that can detect changes in mood, with the hope of preventing ...
EU wants cloned meat off the table
30 minutes ago
The European Commission said Wednesday it would ban meat from cloned animals but stopped short of imposing restrictions on produce from the offspring of such animals, a potentially sensitive issue in EU-US free trade talks.
Men in Crete live six years longer than men in Zutphen
40 minutes ago
Men in the Dutch city of Zutphen in the Netherlands live six years shorter than their peers on the Greek island of Crete. This has been shown by the Seven Countries Study, which involved middle-aged men from ...
Diet quality links old and young
40 minutes ago
Understanding how dietary habits are connected through the generations could have valuable benefits for community health, a new study shows.
Health-related gifts to show elderly relatives that you care
40 minutes ago
For the 133 million Americans living with chronic conditions, the best holiday gift is something that will make navigating a daily routine easier. There are almost 40 million people age 65 and older, making up almost 13 percent ...
User comments
© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Science X network
European Union states and lawmakers agreed on Wednesday to regulate the booming e-cigarette market and discourage smoking by increasing the size of health warnings on packets.
The sale of increasingly popular e-cigarettes will continue to be authorised although countries that classify them as medicinal products will be able to restrict their sale to pharmacies only.
After intensive lobbying from the relatively new electronic-cigarette industry, the European Parliament had refused to restricted their sale to pharmacies across the 28-nation bloc.
However nicotine content in both the devices and refills will be regulated and the European Commission will have to provide a report on potential health risks two years after the EU's anti-smoking measures come into effect.
About seven million Europeans have turned to e-cigarettes in the last four years.
The law, which must still be formally approved by the parliament and member states, will force tobacco firms to cover 65 percent of the packaging with health warnings.
With 70 percent of smokers beginning before the age of 18, and 94 percent before the age of 25, the new legislation aims especially to make cigarettes less attractive to youngsters.
Almost 700,000 Europeans die from tobacco-related illnesses each year—equal to the population of Frankfurt or Palermo—with associated health costs running at more than 25 billion euros ($34 billion euros).
Explore further: Europe's tobacconists march against EU smoking crackdown
© 2013 AFP
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
Europe's tobacconists march against EU smoking crackdown
Jan 22, 2013
Thousands of tobacconists from across Europe marched on European Union headquarters on Tuesday to protest against a planned EU crackdown on smoking that includes grueseome health warnings placarded on packets.
EU lawmakers to push ahead with anti-tobacco plans (Update)
Oct 08, 2013
European lawmakers on Tuesday were set to tighten rules governing the multibillion-dollar tobacco market by imposing bigger and bolder warnings on cigarette packs, banning most flavorings like menthol and strengthening regulation ...
EU Parliament clears tough new anti-smoking rules (Update 2)
Oct 08, 2013
European lawmakers approved sweeping new regulations governing the multibillion-dollar tobacco market on Tuesday, including bigger drastic health warnings on cigarette packs and a ban on menthol and other flavorings to further ...
E-cigarette makers go to war over EU proposals
Sep 03, 2013
Makers and users of electronic cigarettes Tuesday went to war against EU plans to class the devices as medicinal products, saying any such move would end up harming public health.
Europe and electronic cigarettes
Jun 01, 2013
France said on Friday it would apply the same bans to electronic cigarettes as it does to tobacco but would not completely outlaw the popular smokeless product. ...
Recommended for you
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reinforces importance of food, not supplements
2 seconds ago
While dietary supplements can help some people meet their nutrition needs, eating a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods is the best way for most people to obtain the nutrients they need to be healthy and reduce their risk ...
Southampton researchers help develop smart bra to measure mood to prevent over-eating
20 minutes ago
M.C. Schraefel, a professor in computer science and human performance design from the University of Southampton has helped to design a smart bra that can detect changes in mood, with the hope of preventing ...
EU wants cloned meat off the table
30 minutes ago
The European Commission said Wednesday it would ban meat from cloned animals but stopped short of imposing restrictions on produce from the offspring of such animals, a potentially sensitive issue in EU-US free trade talks.
Men in Crete live six years longer than men in Zutphen
40 minutes ago
Men in the Dutch city of Zutphen in the Netherlands live six years shorter than their peers on the Greek island of Crete. This has been shown by the Seven Countries Study, which involved middle-aged men from ...
Diet quality links old and young
40 minutes ago
Understanding how dietary habits are connected through the generations could have valuable benefits for community health, a new study shows.
Health-related gifts to show elderly relatives that you care
40 minutes ago
For the 133 million Americans living with chronic conditions, the best holiday gift is something that will make navigating a daily routine easier. There are almost 40 million people age 65 and older, making up almost 13 percent ...
User comments
© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Science X network
0 comments:
Post a Comment