The consumption of nicotine packs and other alternative cigarettes and nicotine products is on the rise. Estonia is closely watching the Nordic countries’ decisions on nicotine policy and trying to align itself with its neighbors. However, policy development has been slow due to differences in limits on the amount of nicotine in nicotine bags.
No upper limit on nicotine bag content in Estonia
Annemarie Linno, advisor to the Estonian Department of Public Health at the Ministry of Social Affairs, said that Estonia is very concerned about the decision-making of the Nordic countries on the issue of nicotine and strives to align its policies on cigarettes and nicotine with those of its northern and southern neighbors.
Since the legalization of nicotine packs in 2019, Estonia has not set a nicotine limit. According to Linno, the Ministry of Social Affairs has been working on a draft law for years, but progress has been slow because the National Assembly (Rigiikogu) is busy with other more pressing issues.
Owing to slow progress in policy development
Linno also mentioned that it is not easy to push through cigarette and nicotine consumption reforms because there are different views within Parliament on limiting the amount of nicotine in nicotine bags.
“The tobacco industry is also strongly opposed to restrictions,” she added.
Diane Sirelpuu, executive director of Nicorex Estonian e-cigarette seller Diana Sirelpuu, believes that while monitoring measures are necessary, the policy should be reasonable.
She noted that many buyers of nicotine commodities in Estonia have exercised self-control for years. Although there are no government restrictions, they do not import goods with more than 20 milligrams of nicotine.
Cirelp warned that the black market could become active if the quotas set do not match the needs of local consumers. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the rules governing the sale of nicotine are consistent across countries.
The study found that although smoking rates are declining in Estonia, consumption of alternative cigarettes and nicotine products, including nicotine packs, is rising. According to the Institute for Health Development, 3.7% of Estonia’s population used nicotine packs in 2022. The phenomenon is particularly prevalent among young people, especially young men aged 16 to 24, with 22.5 percent using it at least once a month.
