According to VOL.AT, Austria will implement new regulations for nicotine products starting from April 1, 2026. Sales of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches will be subject to stricter rules.
Starting from April 1st, nicotine pouches will only be sold at tobacco specialty stores.
This adjustment is based on the revision of the “Tobacco Law” that was approved in December 2025.
The new regulations mainly concern nicotine pouches and e-cigarette cartridges. These products were previously available for purchase at many retail outlets.
According to the new regulations, nicotine pouches will only be sold through tobacco specialty stores in the future and will be incorporated into the tobacco shop system. E-cigarette liquid， except for those sold in tobacco specialty stores， can only be sold in licensed professional stores. Other sales points will no longer be granted permission.
The new regulations simultaneously increase tobacco taxes and incorporate related products into the monopoly system.
This reform also includes several other adjustments. The tobacco tax will be raised starting from 2026, and the scope of application will also cover heated tobacco and finely cut tobacco products.
Meanwhile, nicotine pouches and e-cigarette cartridges will be incorporated into the tobacco monopoly system.
The bill also stipulates that starting from 2029, cannabis products will only be allowed to be sold through tobacco stores in the future.
Existing industrial hemp and CBD stores can be subject to the transitional period, which lasts until the end of 2028.
Austria claims that the new regulations are related to the increasing use by teenagers.
One of the reasons for this new regulation is the increasing consumption of new types of nicotine products.
The data shows that 28% of the 15-year-olds use e-cigarettes. Each nicotine pouch can contain up to 20 milligrams of nicotine, while a single cigarette contains less than 1 milligram of nicotine.
Austria has also released the relevant schedule:
Starting from April 1, 2026, new sales regulations for nicotine pouches and e-cigarette cartridges will come into effect;
From May 2026, places that have not completed the necessary registration, such as restaurants, will no longer be allowed to sell nicotine products;
The deadline for the sale of existing nicotine product inventories is December 31, 2026;
The deadline for the transition period of industrial hemp and CBD stores is December 31, 2028. After that, the sale of related products will only be allowed through tobacco specialty stores.