Smoking in Greece
In Greece, smoking is legal but subject to a range of regulations applied on tobacco products. Cigarettes are regulated as tobacco products under national law and are legally permitted for sale and use with some restricions. They can be purchased in retail outlets; however, online purchasing and sales through vending machines are not permitted. The importation of cigarettes for trade is allowed with a proper license. Health warnings on cigarette packaging are mandatory, the minimum legal age for purchase is 18 years, and there are legal restrictions on smoking in public places. An excise value of 35.87% and a total taxation rate of 81.22% are applied on cigarettes in Greece. Despite these regulatory measures, smoking remains a daunting public health concern in Greece. In 2024, there were approximately 2.4 million current smokers in the country, corresponding to an adult current smoking prevalence of 27.5%. This prevevalence was reported to be 29.6% in 2022. Smoking prevalence was higher among males (32.5%) than among females (22.8%) in 2024. In 2023, the adult daily tobacco smoking prevalence was reported to be 33.1%. In 2021, smoking led to an estimated 19,854 deaths in Greece, including 14,975 deaths among males and 4,878 among females. Overall, smoking accounted for 13.81% of all deaths in the country, including 20.17% of male deaths and 7.02% of female deaths. These figures highlight the substantial health burden associated with cigarette smoking in Greece.
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April 17, 2025 by worldvapersalliance.com
Greece: Flavour Ban Threatens Public Health Progress
Consumer advocates and vaping organizations warn against Greece's proposed ban on vape flavors, fearing it will reverse progress in reducing smoking rates. The ban could push adults back to smoking or the black market, ignoring evidence that flavors help smokers quit. Advocates urge policymakers to prioritize harm reduction, engage with experts, and consider evidence-based regulations to protect youth without penalizing adult smokers.
March 06, 2025 by planetofthevapes.co.uk
Dr Farsalinos
Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos, a researcher in Greece, criticizes a study claiming vaping is more harmful than smoking. He supports vaping as a safer alternative, citing a study with 17,973 patients that shows switching reduces cardiac risks. Farsalinos emphasizes vaping benefits for heart health and challenges misconceptions about nicotine's cardiovascular risks. His insights question recent studies equating vaping with smoking risks, suggesting they will be debunked. The study reveals challenges in smoking cessation, highlighting the importance of promoting vaping as a harm-reduction tool for cardiovascular health.
November 07, 2024 by tobaccoreporter.com
Greece Set to Boost Penalties for Youth Vape Sales
Greece plans to enforce stricter penalties for businesses selling alcohol, electronic cigarettes, and vaping products to minors. This initiative involves multiple ministries and aims to enhance alcohol laws. Offenders may face imprisonment, fines, and business closure. Authorities noticed past oversights regarding minors' access to harmful products. Changes include increased law enforcement and tougher regulations to safeguard minors.
April 08, 2022 by ekathimerini.com
Greece among the countries with world’s highest smoking rates
Despite a ban on indoor smoking, Greece remains among the countries with the highest smoking rates in the world, although there has been a significant decrease compared to a few years ago, the chief executive of tobacco giant Philip Morris International, Jacek Olczak, tells Kathimerini in an interview.
Olczak says that the ideal for smokers, over 1 billion worldwide, would be to quit smoking altogether, but as the indications so far show that they will not, the most “pragmatic approach” is to use products that eliminate combustion, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
November 16, 2021 by greekcitytimes.com
EU: Greece records the second highest share of daily cigarette smokers
Greece records the second highest share of daily cigarette smokers within the EU for 2019 according to the latest Eurostat data, at 23.6% with Bulgaria in first place at 28.7%.
Following Greece are Latvia (22.1%), Germany (21.9%) and Croatia (21.8%).
In contrast, the countries with the smallest shares of daily smokers were Sweden (6.4%), Finland (9.9%), Luxembourg (10.5%), Portugal (11.5%) and Denmark (11.7%).
August 16, 2018 by reuters.com
Adult Smokers More Apt To Use E-Cigarettes Than Non-Smokers
Researchers examined data collected from one-time surveys of 30,272 people aged 20 to 75 years about their smoking habits, e-cigarette use and respiratory symptoms that might indicate breathing diseases like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). Compared to people who never smoked, current smokers were 18 times more likely to use e-cigarettes, the study found. Ex-smokers were more than twice as likely as people who never smoked to use e-cigarettes.
June 27, 2018 by vapingpost.com
Comparing Emissions from HnBs, E-Cigs and Cigarettes
A study by renowned anti-smoking expert Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos analyzes and compares carbonyl emissions from an HnB device, an e-cigarette and a regular cigarette. The products used in this study were PMI’s IQOS, both regular and menthol variants, the Nautilus Mini e-cigarette, a tank-type atomizer tested with a tobacco-flavoured liquid at 10 W and 14 W and a Marlboro Red cigarette. Aerosol and smoke were collected in impingers containing 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine [...]
April 16, 2018 by biomedcentral.com
Electronic cigarette use in Greece: an analysis of a representative population sample in Attica prefecture
The purpose was to assess prevalence and correlates of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in Greece in 2017. A cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of 4058 adults living in Attica prefecture (35% of the Greek adult population) was performed in May 2017 through telephone interviews. [...] Current smoking was reported by 32.6% of participants. Ever e-cigarette use was reported by 54.1% (51.4–56.8%) of current smokers, [...]
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