Smoking in Germany
In Germany, smoking is allowed but regulated under national tobacco control laws. Cigarettes can be legally sold with a license, purchased online, and bought from vending machines. Importation for trade is also permitted with a lincense. Health warnings on packaging are compulsory, and the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products is 18 years. Nonetheless, a fully comprehensive smoke-free ban in all public places is not in place. Cigarettes are taxed at an overall rate of 64.44% and an excise rate of 29%. Despite this regulatory framework, Germany recorded approximately 13.9 million current adult smokers in 2024, corresponding to an adult smoking prevalence of 19.3%, while in 2022, this was 18.8%. Smoking prevalence was higher among men (22.1%) than among women (16.5%) in 2024. The adult daily smoking prevalence was 21.6% in 2023. In terms of health impact, smoking caused 98,991 deaths in 2021, including 70,315 among men and 28,676 among women. Overall, smoking resulted in 9.82% of all deaths in Germany in 2021, comprising 13.84% of all male deaths and 5.73% of all female deaths.
Read articles from Germany
October 06, 2026 by gfn.tv
Is Regulation Ignoring the Evidence? The Challenge of Better Regulation | #GFN26 Science Lab
Better regulation begins with a simple discipline: look at the evidence before deciding what the policy should say. In tobacco and nicotine control, that means distinguishing between products, measuring actual exposure, and asking whether rules help smokers move away from combustion. Regulation that ignores evidence may still look decisive, but it can harden the wrong incentives and leave the greatest harms untouched. The challenge is not more regulation for its own sake — it is regulation that is proportionate, responsive and honest about risk.
September 30, 2026 by snusforumet.se
Why are Europe’s cancer organisations targeting nicotine?
Cancer prevention depends on identifying the exposures that drive disease burden. In tobacco use, the principal risk arises from combustion and the resulting toxicants, rather than nicotine itself. Conflating nicotine with smoking can weaken public understanding of relative risk and obscure the potential role of smoke-free alternatives for adults who continue to smoke. Public health communication should distinguish clearly between dependence, exposure and disease causation.
September 23, 2026 by 2firsts.com
Can Nicotine Be Replaced? 6-MN Is Already on the Market While Key Human Evidence Is Still Missing
A nicotine substitute entering the market before key human evidence is available should make regulators ask better questions, not reach for easy assumptions. New molecules such as 6-methyl nicotine may sit outside familiar tobacco and nicotine frameworks, but that does not make them automatically safer, riskier or irrelevant. The priority should be transparent testing, pharmacology, exposure data and real-world monitoring before public health claims are made. Innovation can support harm reduction only when the evidence keeps pace with the product.
September 23, 2026 by 2firsts.com
Can Nicotine Be Replaced? 6-MN Is Already on the Market While Key Human Evidence Is Still Missing
A nicotine substitute entering the market before key human evidence is available should make regulators ask better questions, not reach for easy assumptions. New molecules such as 6-methyl nicotine may sit outside familiar tobacco and nicotine frameworks, but that does not make them automatically safer, riskier or irrelevant. The priority should be transparent testing, pharmacology, exposure data and real-world monitoring before public health claims are made. Innovation can support harm reduction only when the evidence keeps pace with the product.
September 17, 2026 by substack.com
Europe Is Protecting Cigarettes from Their Competitors
Europe’s nicotine policy risks protecting cigarettes from competition by making safer alternatives harder to access, afford or communicate clearly. That is a dangerous inversion of public health priorities: the most harmful product remains familiar while lower-risk options face suspicion and restriction. Adult smokers need a market where moving away from combustion is easier than staying with it. Regulation should challenge cigarettes, not shield them from the products that could make them less dominant.
July 27, 2026 by yahoo.com
Op-Ed: No air conditioning, but Brussels wants to ban Zyn
Heat is no longer an abstract climate issue when people are trying to sleep, work or stay safe in homes built for a cooler past. The air-conditioning debate shows how quickly adaptation becomes political: some see cooling as wasteful, others as basic protection against extreme heat. A serious response should not shame people for needing relief, but make cooling cleaner, more efficient and more accessible. Climate policy has to help people live with the risks already here, not only argue about the emissions still to come.
May 08, 2026 by internationalcbc.com
How Many Jurisdictions Want Cannabis Pilot Trials In Germany?
Europe permits limited recreational cannabis commerce for research purposes through pilot trials, allowing local consumers, producers, and retailers to participate. Switzerland and the Netherlands have successful pilot projects, while Germany recently passed the CanG measure legalizing personal cannabis use and cultivation. Despite interest, Germany has not yet approved any pilot trial applications. Research aims to evaluate economic, health-related, and social impacts, potentially influencing broader legalization in Germany and the EU. Success in Switzerland and the Netherlands indicates Germany could also effectively implement pilot trials.
March 30, 2026 by stratcann.com
German high court rules against medicinal cannabis advertisements
Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has ruled that advertising medical cannabis treatments violates national laws governing the promotion of medicinal products. The case focused on online platforms connecting patients with doctors, with the court determining that even general promotion of cannabis therapies can constitute prohibited advertising. The decision reinforces the classification of medical cannabis as a prescription-only medicine subject to strict pharmaceutical advertising rules. Industry representatives argue that the ruling may limit patients’ access to information about treatment options, particularly in a rapidly evolving digital healthcare environment. At the same time, the judgment highlights the tension between emerging cannabis business models and existing regulatory frameworks designed to protect consumers from misleading medical claims. The outcome could have broader implications for how medical cannabis services are marketed across Europe as regulators respond to the sector’s continued growth.
March 18, 2026 by gfn.tv
GFN News #183 | GERMANY'S VAPE FLAVOUR CRACKDOWN?
In this episode of GFN News, Joanna Junak speaks with Will Godfrey of Filter about Germany’s proposed regulation to ban flavoured e-liquids containing cooling agents. The draft measure would prohibit menthol and other “iced” vape products that rely on cooling additives. Supporters of the proposal, including Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, argue that cooling effects may make vaping easier to inhale and potentially increase nicotine intake - particularly among young and inexperienced users.
February 24, 2026 by filtermag.org
“Disguised” Vape Flavor Ban Threatens Harm Reduction in Germany
Germany plans to ban menthol vapes and cooling-flavored e-liquids to deter vaping appeal despite a high smoking rate. The ban aims to curb nicotine intake and dependence among young users. Critics argue insufficient evidence supports the ban and fear it will lead to increased smoking rates and youth access to unregulated products. Similar flavor bans have backfired in other countries, pushing consumers back to combustible cigarettes. Experts urge a harm reduction approach to nicotine to save lives effectively. The ban is deemed unrealistic in achieving Germany's smoking rate reduction goal.
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