site.btaParliament Bans Sale of Energy Drinks to Children and Single-Use Vape Pens

Parliament late on Thursday voted to ban conclusively a ban on the use, distribution, and sale of high-caffeine products (energy drinks) to children. Voting amendments to the Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Related Products Act, Parliament also made revised the Child Protection Act.

Prior to this, MPs banned the marketing of disposable electronic cigarettes, with or without nicotine — commonly referred to as disposable vapes. In addition, they banned the sale and distribution of products such as nicotine pouches and snus where the nicotine content exceeds 20 mg per unit. Nicotine-containing products that do not comply with the new legal requirements may continue to be sold for up to one month following the gazetting of amendments.

“You are banning disposable e-cigarettes, but allowing the use of reusable ones,” said MP Georgi Georgiev from Vazrazhdane. “You are introducing partial regulation, but the truth is that you misled the Bulgarian public,” he added.

The above-mentioned changes will come into force after the expiration of the objection period by the European Commission under Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 September 2015, which establishes a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and rules concerning information society services.