Regulatory report: Iceland – HnB, oral tobacco and nicotine pouches, November 2021

Iceland has seen a decline in the number of smokers of tobacco products, meaning newer products could be seen as a risk for what the country considers a successful policy. Its inclination towards stricter control of nicotine products appears to suggest a determination to reduce the number of consumers in this area as well.

Iceland has recently failed to pass in a second reading a bill amending Act 87/2018 on electronic cigarettes and refills. The bill aimed to apply to nicotine pouches similar rules to those applying to e-cigarettes and refills. TobaccoIntelligence spoke with the chairperson of the committee in charge of passing the bill, the Welfare Committee, which said the draft was left unfinished and that the Committee never took a decision on it.

Nonetheless, the country’s authorities appear to want to regulate new nicotine and tobacco products, as the Ministry of Health has confirmed to TobaccoIntelligence that it plans to submit a new bill.