Regulations
Johannes Rauch Austria

Austria seeks tighter nicotine pouch regulations 

A new law proposed by Austrian Health Minister Johannes Rauch would ban the sale of nicotine pouches to anyone under the age of 18 and place limits on maximum nicotine levels.

The proposed amendments to Austria’s Tobacco and Nicotine Addiction Act would bring nicotine pouch regulations in line with cigarette regulations. 

It would result in marketing and age restrictions, as well as mandatory warning labels. The new law would also extend a smoking ban to children’s playgrounds nationwide.

Important to prevent youth access

“It’s encouraging that Austria is pursuing regulations that will help keep these products out of the hands of young people without banning them entirely,” says Patrik Strömer, Secretary General of the Association of Swedish Snus Manufacturers.

“It’s important not to let fears about youth access deprive adult smokers of the opportunity to access safer nicotine alternatives.”

According to a 2022 survey carried out by Austria’s national public health agency, 13 percent of 15-year-olds reported using nicotine pouches, leading several Austrian federal states to implement their own regulations to restrict youth access.

Nicotine limits in the works

The new federal legislation, submitted to parliament by Green Party health minister Rauch on January 15, would only permit nicotine pouch sales in specialty tobacco shops, restricting online sales in cases where age verification isn’t possible. 

Furthermore, the law calls for the introduction of a legally defined maximum level of nicotine and requires registration of new nicotine products with the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) before they are allowed on the market. 

“Hopefully the AGES will be able to establish a workable approval process that ensures consumers can access new products in a timely manner,” says Strömer.

Smoking has been banned in restaurants in Austria since 2019 following bans in smoking near schools and kindergartens. According to EU statistics published in 2022, Austria’s daily smoking prevalence was 20.2 percent, slightly above the EU average of 18.4 percent.

The proposed law is now under consideration by Austria’s parliament where health minister Rauch expects a majority will support the bill.