The Vologda Oblast of Russia plans to ban the sale of vapes completely, and the governor has described it as “a genocidal weapon against young people”. Currently, the state government is promoting the State Duma to empower local governments to set sales restrictions, similar to the current regulatory model for alcoholic beverages.
Key points:
- The government of Vologda Oblast in Russia plans to completely ban the sale of vapes, tobacco mixtures, and nicotine-containing products to address the problem of abuse among teenagers.
- The governor defined the relevant products as “genocidal weapons against the people”, particularly endangering young people.
- At present, the region is not yet capable of directly implementing the sales ban, and the state government is promoting the delegation of federal authorization to local authorities.
- Local legislative bodies have submitted relevant bills to the State Duma, proposing to expand the region’s control over the retail of tobacco and vapes.
- Vologda Oblast has piloted a strong regulatory model in the alcohol sales sector, which has been analogized to products such as vapes.
Russia’s Vologda Region Proposes Total Ban on Vapes
According to a report by TASS on May 6th. The government of Vologda Oblast in Russia plans to completely ban the retail sale of vapes and nicotine-containing products throughout the oblast.
Governor Georgy Filimonov said in an interview with RBK that various current vapes, tobacco mixtures, and fragrance inhalation devices pose serious health risks to the public, calling them “Weapons of genocide against the people, especially the young”.
Filimonov pointed out that the regulatory power of the vape market has not yet been decentralized from the federal level to local governments, so the compliance of each store can only be inspected on a case-by-case basis. He said that these products would be dealt with in the same way as the retail of alcoholic beverages, but only if legislative authority was obtained.
E-cigarettes to follow alcohol control model
Filimonov disclosed that the legislative body of Vologda Oblast has submitted relevant bills to the State Duma. Proposing to grant local governments greater power to implement regulatory measures such as retail time restrictions, setting sales conditions and complete bans on the sale of tobacco and vapes within their local areas.
He added that he had discussed this issue with Vyacheslav Volodin. The president of the State Duma, on many occasions and received his support.
Filimonov emphasized, “Our goal is to obtain the same authority as the management of the alcohol market.”
The alcohol sales restrictions in Vologda State, which will come into effect on March 1, 2025, are from 12:00 to 14:00 from Monday to Friday. The opening hours on weekends and specific holidays (including February 23rd, March 8th, May 9th and the New Year holiday) are from 8:00 to 23:00. At the same time, the date range during which the sale of alcohol is prohibited throughout the year has been expanded.
