Entry into force of Tobacco Act postponed - sale of electronic cigarettes continues to require marketing authorisation under Medicines Act
The entry into force of Finland's new Tobacco Act will be postponed by few weeks. According to earlier plans, the Tobacco Act was to enter into force on 20 May 2016, by which date the EU Tobacco Products Directive should be implemented in all Member States. The Government proposal for a new Tobacco Act is currently under discussion at Parliament. The proposed Act will implement the EU directive on tobacco products and put through the overall reform of the 40-year-old Tobacco Act.
Finland's current Tobacco Act will apply until the new act has been adopted. This entails that electronic cigarettes, for example, will continue to be subject to legislation on pharmaceuticals. Therefore, it is forbidden to sell electronic cigarettes containing nicotine if the product does not have a marketing authorisation under the Medicines Act.
The most important reason for postponing the entry into force of the Tobacco Act is that the government proposal was, at a later stage, supplemented with a proposal to ban smoking in cars with children under the age of 15.
Inquiries:
Laura Terho, Lawyer, tel. +358 2951 63550, [email protected]
Meri Paavola, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 2951 63343