Russia Passes Law to Regulate E-Cigarettes and Ban Sales to Minors

On April 11th, in Moscow, the State Duma voted on and passed an electronic cigarette regulation and distribution bill during a general assembly meeting on Tuesday. The bill bans the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and received support from over 400 lawmakers, passing with over 90% of the vote.

The contents of the bill include:

The use of flavorings and additives in the production and sale of nicotine-containing products is prohibited in order to "reduce their appeal to underage individuals". Additionally, the retail of "equipment for consuming nicotine products" and their components is to be prohibited at markets and exhibitions, via remote sales and vending machines, and through home delivery. The display and exhibition of such equipment in stores is also prohibited. Furthermore, the law suggests restrictions on advertising that includes images, descriptions, or references to electronic cigarette devices, and prohibits the display of such content to children under 12 years old.

At the same time, the initiator of the bill and Chairman of the State Duma, Viacheslav Volodin, stated that the government is prepared to revise the Administrative Offences Code and the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to impose penalties on those who violate legal bans. Subsequently, there will be changes to tax laws, ultimately making e-cigarettes unavailable.

2FIRSTS will continue to follow up on the relevant legislation in our future reporting.

Recommended Related Reading:

The proposal to ban flavored e-cigarettes in Russia will be discussed for the first time on April 11th.

Russia has proposed imposing a maximum fine of 500,000 rubles for selling electronic cigarettes to minors.

Russian Prime Minister Mishustin is considering banning electronic cigarettes.

The ban on flavor additives for electronic cigarettes in Russia will come into effect on September 1st, along with the full text of the proposal.