Lithuanian lawmakers propose ban on disposable electronic cigarette sales
Nearly 50 Lithuanian lawmakers have proposed banning sales of disposable electronic cigarettes to reduce youth access and consumption. The measure would cover pre-filled, non-refillable devices, including products with rechargeable batteries.
Cross-party group registers sales ban
Nearly 50 members of Lithuania’s parliament have prepared and registered amendments that would prohibit sales of disposable electronic cigarettes, 15min.lt reported. The sponsors represent several parliamentary groups and are seeking to amend the country’s law governing tobacco, tobacco products and related products.
The proposal is intended to reduce the appeal, availability and use of electronic cigarettes among young people. Its explanatory note cites a 2023 European Union study showing that most electronic cigarette users chose rechargeable devices, while disposable products were most popular among people aged 15–24. The sponsors said disposable devices are easy to use, widely promoted on social media and attractive because of their low price.
Definition would include rechargeable disposables
Under the proposed definition, a disposable electronic cigarette would be a device that is pre-filled with liquid and cannot be refilled. The classification would apply regardless of whether the product has a rechargeable battery. This distinction would prevent suppliers from keeping non-refillable products on the market solely by adding rechargeable power systems.
The draft would establish a direct prohibition on selling such devices. For importers and distributors, the central compliance question would therefore be whether an electronic cigarette can be refilled, rather than whether its battery can be recharged. Retailers carrying pre-filled, closed devices would face the prospect of removing that category from their Lithuanian product ranges if the amendments are adopted. The source material does not specify a proposed implementation date, transition period or treatment of existing inventories.
Youth access drives the proposal
The lawmakers argue that the disposable electronic cigarette market has expanded sharply and that nicotine concentrations in the products have increased. They also cite health damage and environmental pollution. Data from the 2024 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs show that Lithuanian pupils first tried electronic cigarettes at an average age of 12.9 and began using them daily at an average age of 13.5.
Since 2015, the share of respondents aged 13 or younger who had tried electronic cigarettes for the first time has risen fourfold, from 7.3% to 32%. More than half of pupils, or 55.6%, said they could obtain electronic cigarettes easily or very easily if they wanted them. These figures place product availability, rather than only product formulation, at the center of the parliamentary initiative.
Lithuania already restricts vape liquids
Lithuania currently prohibits electronic cigarettes and refill containers containing liquids with vitamins, caffeine, taurine, other stimulant compounds, added aromas or flavors, sugar or sweeteners from being placed on the market. The proposed disposable-device ban would broaden regulation from the composition of liquids to the format of the product itself.
The initiative has faced procedural setbacks before. According to BNS, similar amendments were first due to be presented in October of the previous year but were removed from the plenary agenda. In April of the current year, a proposal by S. Čaplinskas was removed from the agenda again. Registration of the latest cross-party draft renews the effort, but the supplied material does not state when parliament will debate or vote on it.