Smoke Free Sweden condemns Poland’s ‘perverse’ vape tax hike

WARSAW, Smoke Free Sweden today expressed serious concerns about Poland’s newly approved plan to tax nicotine pouches and vaping devices at rates akin to traditional cigarettes. The Council of Ministers has endorsed a draft law that could, starting this July and August, impose steep excise duty on reduced-risk alternatives — undermining efforts to lower the country’s smoking rates.

Commenting on these developments, Dr. Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden, said:

“Misguided policymakers are yet again neglecting real-world evidence. When safer alternatives are taxed as heavily as cigarettes, people revert to smoking. It’s a perverse incentive, and the public pays the price in lives and health.”

In just two months, both the US and Sweden have provided textbook examples of how risk-proportionate policies can improve public health. By making safer nicotine alternatives affordable and accessible, Sweden has seen its smoking rates plummet to just 4.5% of the population born in the country – the lowest in Europe. This approach has delivered tangible public health benefits: smoking-related diseases, including cancer, occur at dramatically lower rates in Sweden than in other EU nations.

Meanwhile, in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s endorsement and market authorisation of nicotine pouches reflects a growing recognition of harm reduction’s potential to save lives.

In Poland, by contrast, one in four adults is a regular smoker – nearly five times more than Sweden. Each year, tobacco use costs Poland over PLN 30 billion in healthcare expenses and productivity losses. These figures highlight the urgent need for policies that encourage smoking cessation, not regression.

That is why Poland’s proposed tax policy undermines progress. At rates of PLN 150/kg in 2025, rising to PLN 250/kg by 2027, nicotine pouches and vaping products will become unaffordable for many smokers trying to quit. The likely result? A resurgence of cigarette use. For context, smoking still kills over 80,000 people annually in Poland, out of its 8 million consumers.

Dr. Human concluded:

“Polish lawmakers should be encouraged to reconsider this misguided policy. By implementing a risk-proportionate tax structure that reflects the lower harm profile of vapes, and nicotine pouches, Poland can incentivise smokers to switch and prioritise public health over ideology.”

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Notes to editors

Contact

Smoke Free Sweden

Jessica Perkins 

info@smokefreesweden.org

www.smokefreesweden.org

About Smoke Free Sweden

Smoke Free Sweden is a movement which encourages other countries to follow the Swedish model when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction. Sweden’s smoke free success can be attributed to its open attitude towards regulated alternative nicotine products.

For more information on Sweden’s successful approach to becoming a smoke free nation, please visit www.smokefreesweden.org.