According to a report by infobae media on January 17th, the Spanish tobacco organization announced this week that the latest royal decree does not include new health warnings on packaging for heated tobacco products, as these products fall under the category of "combustion-free".
According to a tobacco organization, the new regulations differentiate between "non-combustible heated tobacco products" and "heated tobacco products for inhalation," with only the latter being mandated to carry the same health warnings as traditional cigarettes. However, sources from the Ministry of Health contend that the new regulations treat heated tobacco in the same manner as traditional tobacco, requiring the addition of health warnings.
The interpretation of this contradiction has sparked controversy within the tobacco industry after the announcement of new regulations. Tobacco company Philip Morris stated on Tuesday that their heated tobacco products are "combustion-free," and therefore the new regulations will not affect their packaging. However, according to the modifications of the new regulations, only "heated tobacco products intended for inhalation" require the same health warnings as traditional cigarettes, while "combustion-free heated tobacco products" are exempted.
The objective of the new royal decree is to incorporate Directive 2014/40/EU of the European Union into Spanish law and update the regulations regarding heated tobacco products in 2017. However, this regulation only applies to heated tobacco products and does not include other devices such as e-cigarettes. It also prohibits the addition of flavors in accessories for heated tobacco products. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines heated tobacco as tobacco products heated below 400℃ without combustion, and different from traditional cigarettes.
The revision of this regulation has sparked controversy over whether heated tobacco products should carry the same health warning labels as traditional tobacco. This conflicting interpretation could have implications for the Spanish tobacco market and may also become a high-profile case for similar regulations internationally. As different parties continue to interpret the regulation differently, the controversy remains ongoing.
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