Harm reduction in practice: Why the Czech Republic is setting the benchmark for regulating new nicotine products.

Czechia is one of the countries with a long tradition of harm reduction, which began decades ago in the context of illegal drugs and has been expanded to include tobacco and novel nicotine products in recent years. Czechia was one of the first EU countries to introduce regulation for nicotine pouches, sets excise duty according to the risk level of the product, and most recently banned flavors for children in electronic cigarettes – without significantly restricting flavors for adults. The Czech approach shows how proportional regulation, risk-based taxation and targeted protection of minors can coexist – and why this model could serve as a blueprint for other EU member states.