Germany's Drug Commissioner Calls for Sharp Tobacco Tax Hike on World No Tobacco Day

Political Support and Demands for Transparency

The commissioner's call was swiftly endorsed by Christos Pantazis, the health policy spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group. Pantazis warned that young people are being deliberately targeted by the tobacco and nicotine industry.

"Gerade Jugendliche würden gezielt über süße Aromen, bunte Verpackungen und digitale Vermarktungsstrategien angesprochen," Pantazis said. He stressed that such marketing is not harmless but represents "der Einstieg in Abhängigkeit und schwere Folgeerkrankungen."

Pantazis also emphasized that youth protection laws must not exist only on paper but must be "wirksam kontrolliert und durchgesetzt werden." He added that the debate is not about additional state revenue, but about fewer addictions, less cancer, and more healthy years of life.

Simone Borchardt, the health policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, also backed the tax increase but demanded transparency on how the additional revenue would be used. She insisted that the money should not simply disappear into the general federal budget.

"Wenn Tabaksteuer und Abgaben auf nikotinhaltige Produkte erhöht werden, darf dieses Geld nicht einfach im allgemeinen Bundeshaushalt verschwinden," Borchardt said. She argued that, according to the polluter-pays principle, an appropriate portion must benefit the health fund, as the follow-up costs of smoking are ultimately borne by insured persons, employers, and the healthcare system.

Alarming New Data on Youth Nicotine Use

The political debate was fueled by the publication of the Drug Affinity Study 2025 by the Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) on Tuesday. The study revealed that nearly one in ten 12- to 17-year-olds in Germany now consumes nicotine products, a significant increase from about six percent in 2021.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also used World No Tobacco Day to call on governments to better protect the young generation from tobacco and nicotine products. The WHO stated that children, adolescents, and young adults whose brains are still developing are particularly at risk.

Etienne Krug, a director at the WHO, highlighted the ongoing global health crisis caused by tobacco. He stated that tobacco consumption causes diseases such as cancer and continues to kill millions of people, while large corporations reap high profits by bringing flavored e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other products to market to make people addicted.

Addiction researcher Heino Stöver offered a critical summary of the current situation in Germany. He said the country ignores WHO measures against smoking, summarizing the state of affairs as: "Tabak soll 24/7 verfügbar sein."