Norway lifts the ban on nicotine-containing e-juices and e-cigarettes. At the same time, it introduces laws that follow the EU regulatory framework for vejp products.
"A welcome decision" says the Norwegian vejp Association, Dampselskapet.
The announcement was made at the end of the week and the new regime will apply in 2020, reports the organisation EHTRAa European harm reduction organisation, in a press release. Norway has had a ban on the import and sale of "new tobacco and nicotine products" since 1989, including e-cigarettes and e-juice.
Nicotine for personal use
Vejpshopparna sells hardware and nicotine-free juices, while Norway's vejpare has been able to import nicotine separately for its own use. It is currently legal to import the equivalent of three months' supply of nicotine. However, there is a large black market for nicotine in Norway and consumers are required by law to prove that the nicotine is only for personal use and for smoking cessation.
"Legalising nicotine liquids is a welcome move and we can only congratulate our government on the decision to move closer to other EU countries on this issue" says Trond Meier from Dampselskapet, the consumer-driven vejp association in Norway, to ETHRA.
European rules
The ban will be lifted as the country introduces new laws for e-cigarettes. The idea is for Norway to emulate the EU Tobacco Directive (TPD). The proposed regulatory framework is therefore similar to the Swedish system, where products must be registered for sale 12 weeks in advance (in Sweden it is 6 months), contain Norwegian instructions for use and may only be marketed sparingly (in Norway it is otherwise not even allowed to display nicotine products openly in shops).
Many people use e-cigs to quit
Earlier this year, Norwegian authorities published a study on the vejp habits of Norwegians. It found that a large majority, almost 70 per cent, of the 900 participants said they had managed to quit smoking within a year by switching to e-cigarettes, the organisation reports. Nikan on its website.
Norway's new regulatory framework for e-cigarettes is due to come into force sometime in 2020 and will be evaluated over a period of time, partly to ensure that young people do not start using e-cigs to a greater extent and partly to find out whether the regulation really does improve public health, according to ETHRA.
