On August 15, according to the Russian Parliament newspaper, the Chairman of the State Duma Youth Policy Committee Artyom Metelev (Артем Метелев) told Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (Михаилу Мишустину) and Prosecutor General Iraq Gore Krasnov (Игорю Краснову) issued a call: Before September 1, large-scale inspections of e-cigarette sales will be carried out, and practitioners who violate the regulations will be fined.
In a TV interview, Medelev expressed his concern about the issue of e-cigarettes in Russia.
Russian politicians call for mass inspections of e-cigarettes before September 1
Interview|Source: Parliament News
He said the new regulations would not only apply to e-cigarettes, but any nicotine-containing device, including hookahs. Not only is the sale of these products to minors prohibited, but public display or promotion of related products is also not allowed, and e-cigarettes are treated the same as traditional cigarettes. However, investigations have shown that this regulation has not been fully complied with in some areas.
"Our commission's raids in 42 areas have shown that the law is not being followed and hundreds of violations have been brought to light."
Meteleev said he had submitted the complaint to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov. Mass inspections are planned for September 1, with fines for violators. There are also plans to start awareness campaigns about the dangers of vaping in schools and colleges at the start of the new school year.
If businesses do not comply and regulators fail to take action by Sept. 1, he will propose further legislative initiatives, possibly even introducing a licensing system for e-cigarette sales.
In addition, there was discussion of whether to implement surprise inspections of vape shops, and he will seek to ensure that businesses comply with existing regulations.