- The Ministry of Health wants to introduce a ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations at night.
- The ministry is also working to ban the sale of all e-cigarettes to people under 18 years of age.
- What is the reason for these changes and what effect can they have?
The Ministry of Health plans to introduce a ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations at night (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.). The draft act is ready and has already been submitted to the Team for Programming Government Work. The proposed date of entry into force of the new regulations is January 1, 2025. Izabela Leszczyna informed in July that the project was to be submitted to the Sejm after the holidays. The final decision will be made after public consultations.
What do Poles think about the ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations
The Public Opinion Research Center conducted a study "Poles on limiting the sale of alcohol at gas stations" in connection with a project of the Ministry of Health. A total ban on the sale of alcohol at gas stations is supported by 35 percent. respondents, and 17 percent is in favor of a ban at 22-6 – according to the study. 42% are against restrictions. subjects. 74 percent respondents have never bought alcohol at a station.
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This group is in favor of banning the sale of alcohol at gas stations at night 
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Ban on selling cigarettes for heaters – end of consultations
The trade does not want changes in the sale of alcohol
Trade is very skeptical about the ministry's plans. The Polish Chamber of Commerce warns against the consequences of this solution.
From the point of view of health protection, this is a neutral project that will not change consumer behavior. Restricting the sale of alcohol in selected commercial establishments for a few hours a day will not significantly contribute to reducing alcohol consumption by Poles. For business, however, it will involve a number of organizational difficulties and challenges related to, for example, the threat to sellers. Prohibition solutions may also directly influence the development of the gray zone, PIH believes.
– The introduction of any regulations banning the sale of alcohol will not bring tangible results and will pose further challenges to the trade. We appeal to listen to the voice of business, because it is responsible for making alcohol products available to customers and it is affected by the consequences related to regulations regarding sales restrictions, said the president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, Maciej Ptaszyński.
A ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors is on the agenda
Izabela Leszczyna admitted. that it would like to see a ban on the sale of all e-cigarettes to persons under 18 years of age from January 1, 2025. – Those with nicotine are already banned, but in fact the others are no different, they all pretend to be watermelons or wild strawberries – she said.
A draft amendment to the Act on health protection against the consequences of using tobacco and tobacco products is under consultation. It assumes, among others: a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to persons under 18 years of age, regardless of whether the product contains nicotine.
Currently, electronic cigarettes and refill containers that are filled with nicotine-free liquid do not meet the definitions of an electronic cigarette or refill container from the so-called tobacco act. The provisions of the draft amendment are intended to cover also the so-called nicotine-free fluids.
E-cigarettes are a sales hit
If the ban comes into force, it will be a big problem for the trade – e-cigarettes are a sales hit. In 2024, Poles will spend over PLN 1.2 billion on them. Data from Statista show that the revenues of importers of these stimulants will increase by 5.5% y/y. In Poland, the growth dynamics is higher, among others. than in Germany (2.1%), the Czech Republic (4.3%) and Slovakia (5.0%).
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These products are supposed to be banned, but they sell very well in small stores
The Market Monitoring Center (CMR) reported that the "sales hit" in Poland were the so-called disposable e-cigarettes, which are imported from China, where the sale of these products is prohibited. According to estimates by Grand View Research, China sold e-cigarettes worth $2.27 billion last year.
According to estimates by the Institute of Economic Forecasts and Analyzes (IPAG), in 2023 the sales of "disposable" items in Poland reached approximately 100 million pieces, while a year earlier it was estimated at 32 million. Over 90 percent e-cigarettes sold in Poland had a sweet, fruity or so-called beverage. In total, there are approximately 770 flavor combinations of disposable e-cigarettes in the official Polish distribution. A typical "disposable" costs about PLN 30 and allows for about 600 puffs. This is the equivalent of smoking approximately 3 packs of cigarettes.
The sale of energy drinks to minors is already banned. Has it changed anything?
Although the idea behind the ministry's plans is sound, it may turn out that it will not bring the expected results.
Introduced at the beginning of this year. the ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors was aimed at limiting their consumption by children and adolescents. As it turns out, the industry responded by increasing product availability.
Research conducted by eLeader shows that the shelf shares of the four largest energy producers increased by almost 9 percentage points in the first quarter of this year, making these brands occupy an average of 68.7 percent. shelfs. At the same time, over 100 new products appeared in the energy drinks category. The segment of vitamin and isotonic drinks, which are on the verge of energy drinks, is particularly gaining importance.
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Disservice. There are more energy producers than before
Despite the recorded drops in sales in the last quarter of last year and the ban on selling energy drinks to minors, producers and chains do not change prices at all. From December 2023 to March this year. we paid the same for flagship products of leading energy drink producers.
In the case of cigarettes and alcohol, we can expect price and excise tax increases. Izabela Leszczyna believes that these products are still too cheap in Poland.
