Government

Belgium pulls cigarette machines from bars, restaurants

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October 27, 2022

Belgians will no longer be able to buy tobacco products from vending machines in restaurants and bars under a ruling by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Health, according to a report in The Brussels Times.

Frank Vandenbroucke, federal health minister, proposed the ban, which the federal government supported. The ban does not apply to supermarkets.

Els Van Hoof, federal MP for the CD&V party, said the ban will make it harder for minors to get cigarettes.

Since 2006, the tobacco machines required customers to use a token that was not supposed to be available to minors, but minors were often able to get the tokens.