Implementation of new smoke-free policies in Luxembourg

Previously regulated by a 2006 law, Luxembourg has tightened measures to fight against tobacco use. According to the Health Minister, 70% of smokers will start consuming tobacco before the age of 18 with their first cigarette generally smoked at 13 to 14 years old. In light of this observation, the government has announced new measures that will protect non-smokers and try to reduce tobacco use, especially among teenagers. These measures entered into force on August 1st 2024 and came as an addition to the 2006 law.

The new Luxembourg regulation now bans tobacco consumption from playgrounds and school areas, including sports arena and cars when one of the passengers is less than 12 years old. This new set of measures aims at reducing health risks linked to passive smoking but also at reducing youth exposure to the tobacco smoking gesture.

Vaping is not excluded from this hardened anti-tobacco regulation. E-cigarettes are considered as tobacco cigarettes and therefore cannot be used in areas that are dedicated to non-smokers. Actually, the Health Minister considers that the ingredients contained in e-liquids, such as nicotine, propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin are toxic for both vapers and their close ones, even if they are less harmful than tobacco products. Besides, e-cigarettes sales to minors will be prohibited, while it was previously allowed to sell e-cigs to all person aged 16 or more.

For the Luxembourg government, the decision to include vaping products in the tobacco legislation is based on the fact that they believe e-cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco products for the young people because the gesture is quite similar. But recent surveys have concluded that e-cigarettes do not lead to smoking tobacco among the youth and a recent Californian study even demonstrated that e-cigarettes were a useful tool to reduce tobacco use.