Problem of Illicit Tobacco and Nicotine Products in Russia

According to a report from the Russian media outlet Business Online on February 1, Artem Kiryanov, Deputy Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee of the Russian State Duma, revealed during a press conference that a significant portion of the tobacco and nicotine-containing products market in Russia still operates in the black market. The legal circulation of these products accounts for less than one-third of the total domestic sales.

Kiryanov further added that nowadays consumers can identify legitimate products through the Data Matrix label on the product and the information provided by the "Honesty Mark" system.

When asked about the handling of e-cigarette products, Kiryanov stated that the Duma is currently debating whether to ban or regulate them.

He explained, "We choose to regulate the product so that we can understand the current situation and effectively combat illegal sales. If banned, the entire market will be pushed into the black market. This will result in a significant increase in the proportion of e-cigarette orders through the internet, from the current 5% to 95%. This will blur the line between e-cigarette consumption and the distribution network of illicit drugs. At this point, we must be clear that this is a situation that the Russian Federation cannot tolerate.