Russia proposes vape education program, calls for raising youth awareness
Russia plans to launch educational courses on vapes in schools across the country and plans to invite representatives of the State Duma who participated in the drafting of the law to participate. In December 2024, Putin signed a bill restricting the sale of vapes to minors.
The parliamentary group of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in the State Duma has submitted a proposal to the Russian Ministry of Education to carry out a series of courses on “the dangers of vapes” in schools across the country.
The letter by the party leader Gennady Zyuganov (Г е н н а д и й З ю f а н о kind guide) and state duma home protection committee chairman, Nina Aosta, Nina (Н и н а О с т а н и н а) signed a letter pointed out that it is necessary for children and adolescents, education and guidance, Educate students about the law banning the sale of vapes to minors, and plan to involve deputies of the State Duma who drafted such laws.
On December 28, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law restricting the sale of vapes to minors. However, lawmakers say a ban alone is not enough, and educational measures are needed to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping among young people.
Russia proposes tobacco sales licensing system with much higher fines
According to Kommersant on February 17, the Russian government is discussing a tobacco market reform package aimed at reducing the scale of the illegal tobacco trade. One option for reform would be to introduce a licensing system for tobacco sellers similar to that for alcohol sales.
Another option is to establish a registration system for licensing the sale of tobacco products. The illegal tobacco trade could cost the state budget up to 100 billion rubles ($1.1 billion) a year.
As fines do not provide sufficient deterrence to sellers of counterfeit tobacco, it is recommended that penalties be increased, including removal from the registration list or revocation of the license to sell.
Applicants who obtain a tobacco sales license or are included in the registration list must meet several conditions, including owning a sales or storage facility and having no debt history. Retail sales licenses may cost 10,000 rubles ($100), while wholesale sales licenses can cost up to 500,000 rubles ($5,500).
