Lithuania’s tobacco market under the ban: heated tobacco sales rise

Under Lithuania’s ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, the variety of tobacco products on the market has declined and existing stock is being sold out. Flavored heated tobacco products account for half of the category, but sales are still rising. The purpose of the ban is to protect teenagers and children.

According to a report by Lithuanian news website 15min on October 23, a ban on the sale of combustible tobacco products with added flavors or aromas in Lithuania has come into force. Only tobacco with its natural smell and taste may now be legally sold. 

Gražina Belian, acting head of Lithuania’s Department of Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control, said authorities have recently found attempts to sell off remaining stock.

“We have already seen changes: the variety of cigarettes is shrinking, and they are about to sell out.” 

She noted that flavored tobacco products will no longer be available, and that the heated tobacco ban is a decision made at the EU level. She said rules have already been established on how inspection procedures should be carried out to determine whether such products are still on the market. 

At present, flavored products account for half of the heated tobacco category, and 42% of heated tobacco consumers choose such products. 

According to data from retailer Maxima, heated tobacco products account for one-third of its overall tobacco category, and annual sales continue to grow. Compared with 2020, sales of combustible tobacco rose by one-fifth last year, possibly due to the ban on menthol and similar cigarettes that took effect in 2020. This year, demand for combustible tobacco has increased by just over 5%. 

According to Belian, heated tobacco products are most appealing to young people under the age of 24. She firmly stated that the purpose of the ban is to protect teenagers and children. 

Currently, Philip Morris Baltic and Japan Tobacco International offer heated tobacco products in Lithuania. In Lithuania, heated tobacco products account for nearly one-third of all tobacco product sales, and 38% of them are sold in the capital, Vilnius, making it the city with the highest consumption of such products in the world.