State Duma will consider bills on protecting children from smoking

The State Duma has begun considering projects aimed at protecting minors from consuming tobacco and nicotine-containing products, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said in his Telegram channel.

The use of vapes, electronic cigarettes, tobacco, hookah, and other smoking mixtures causes serious health problems and leads to diseases, the politician notes.

"The results of inspections show that sellers of these products, in pursuit of profit, commit offenses, posing a threat to the life and health of children. Last year, 6,496 administrative cases were opened for violations of the rules for selling nicotine-containing and tobacco products, which is 53.7% more than in 2022," Vyacheslav Volodin noted.

The bills, he noted, propose to increase fines for selling tobacco and nicotine-containing products, devices for their consumption, or raw materials for their production to minors: for individuals - up to 300 thousand rubles (currently from 40 to 60 thousand rubles); for officials - up to 700 thousand rubles (currently from 150 to 300 thousand rubles); for legal entities - up to 2 million rubles (currently from 400 to 600 thousand rubles). In case of repeated violations, criminal liability is introduced.

In addition, it is proposed to significantly increase fines under several other articles for violations in the sphere of trade in the specified products and goods.

Author: Sergey Nikolaev