Russian Social Activist Calls for Financial Penalties on Parents to Curb Underage Smoking

According to a report by Russian television channel 360 on April 19, social activist Vladimir Mikhailov is calling for fines to be imposed on parents as a way to address the issue of underage smoking and e-cigarette use. Although there are restrictions in Russia on selling tobacco products to minors, they are still able to easily obtain them. Mikhailov points out that in the past 10 years, the number of cases of children using e-cigarettes has increased tenfold.

Mikhailov emphasized that the lack of awareness about the health effects of e-cigarettes on the human body remains a major issue. Although e-cigarettes are promoted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, they cause irreversible damage to the health of smokers and those around them. Corresponding statistics reveal alarming results, including cases of death caused by smoking. He called for a ban on all underage tobacco use.

He believes that the primary task is to provide explanations and, based on this, to supervise parents who tolerate their children smoking. "Now, if a child under the age of 18 smokes, their parents should be fined. This law is not actually being enforced, so first and foremost, parents need to take responsibility.

It is worth mentioning that the Russian State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) is currently drafting a law proposal to ban the retail sale of e-cigarettes in Russia in order to protect public health. The bill emphasizes that despite e-cigarettes being promoted as a safer alternative to regular cigarettes, the harm they cause to smokers and the environment is irreversible.