Bid to lessen appeal of heated tobacco products

By treating heated tobacco products the same as regular cigarettes, the Health Ministry is attempting to make them "unattractive."

The ministry's draft law for the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies, which was tabled in Parliament on Thursday, includes a provision adopting a European Union directive to ban the sale of heated tobacco products containing flavoring substances which modify their smell or taste, as is the case for cigarettes or rolling tobacco.

Similarly, it also obliges heated tobacco products to carry on their outer packaging warnings such as "smoking causes nine out of 10 lung cancers," "smoking causes heart attacks" or "smoking increases the risk of sexual impotence," which are seen on all cigarette and tobacco packets marketed in Greece. 

The provisions do not apply to e-cigarettes.