Russia plans to incorporate vape into unified management of tobacco control law
As a major consumer of tobacco and vape, Russia has recently strengthened legislation against vape, and is expected to include vape in the unified tobacco management in 2020.
The "Russian News" survey shows that 32% of residents in Russia have a smoking habit, and 94% of them are over 28 years old. Among smokers, the proportion of men is slightly higher than that of women, reaching 59%. According to a World Health Organization report, Russian male smokers smoke an average of 18.4 cigarettes a day, female smokers smoke 12.6 cigarettes, and 300,000 to 400,000 people die each year from smoking-related diseases.
It is worth noting that the problem of smoking among adolescents is also very serious. Among the 30% of middle school student smokers in Russia, the age of smoking the first cigarette is 10 to 12 years old.
In the vape field, the latest survey shows that 2% of smokers use vape, and the survey results show that all consumers and users of vape have previously smoked traditional tobacco products. In Moscow, the smoking rate is lower than the national average of only 27%, but the use of vape is higher than the average, about 2.5%.
In response to the social problems caused by smoking in Russia, Russia officially signed the World Health Organization's "Tobacco Control Framework Convention" (FCTC) in 2008, and subsequently implemented tobacco control regulations from a legislative level in order to reduce the harm of tobacco to its citizens. The Russian government hopes that by 2020, the adult smoking rate in Russia will fall from the current 39% to 25%.
On February 12, 2013, Russia introduced the "Protection of Public Health from Tobacco Harm" (hereinafter referred to as the "Anti-Tobacco Law"). The law is implemented in three stages: the first stage, from June 1, 2013, smoking is banned in most public places, and smoking is not allowed within 15 meters from the airport, subway, and train station; the second stage, Starting June 1, 2014, smoking bans will be completely banned in nursing homes, hotels, bars, restaurants, long-distance cruise ships, cafes, and electric train platforms, while the sale of cigarettes at kiosks, trucks, hawkers, markets, exhibitions, etc. is prohibited. Tobacco products can only be bought in large shopping venues, but the public display of cigarettes is prohibited. Tobacco information required by consumers can be found in the price list; the third stage, starting from January 1, 2017, will produce all tobacco products , The import and export of tobacco products, and the wholesale and retail sales of tobacco products in the market.
In September of this year, Russia issued new fire regulations, including a ban on smoking on the balcony, and offenders will be fined. This regulation has been implemented since October 1 this year. In October of this year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation released the minutes of the Government Committee on Crime Prevention signed by Minister Vladimir Kolocoltsev, which stated that if minors smoke, parents may be held accountable. According to the News, the new regulations may be written into a new version of the Russian Federation Administrative Penalty Law, which will take effect in 2021.
According to the Anti-Tobacco Law, smoking in children's places is fined 2,000 to 3,000 roubles, and if children are present, it is fined 5,000 roubles; smoking in non-smoking places (train stations, gas stations, unit corridors, etc.) is fined 1,500 roubles; selling cigarettes Fines for minors were 30,000 rubles, units were fined 150,000 rubles; advertising for tobacco was fined 150,000 rubles.
Since the implementation of Russia's "Anti-Tobacco Law", it has achieved remarkable results. The latest statistics of the Russian Ministry of Health show that in the past 10 years, the number of smokers in Russia has decreased by 11%, and the use of tobacco has decreased by 25%. In the field of youth tobacco control, the percentage of smokers in Russia between the ages of 13 and 15 has decreased from 25.4% in 2004 to about 9% today. ?
Currently, more than 30 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Singapore, Argentina, Spain, Japan, France, Australia, Spain, Russia, Cambodia, Israel, and Thailand, have banned the import and sale of vape. As the second largest tobacco consumer in the world, Russia has not yet banned vape and e-liquid sales, but with the introduction of relevant legislation, vape consumption will be curbed.
Russian officials believe that e-liquid contains nicotine, which is also a dependency, and there is currently no scientific proof that vape can be explicitly used as a tool to quit smoking. The Russian parliament newspaper recently reported on the vape market under the heading "Scientists have discovered how vape harms health". The report states that experts conducted clinical trials and found that vape stiffens arteries, increases heart rate and blood pressure, and increases the risk of brain damage. Therefore, scientists call on the world to ban such cigarettes.
On July 18 this year, an vape exploded in the mouth of a smoker in Krasnodar. The harm of vape to physical health and its own safety hazards have increasingly attracted the attention of the Russian government and society.
As early as 2016, Victor Yevtukhov, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, stated that although Russia will not separately regulate the vape market, it will incorporate vape into the Anti-Tobacco Law for standardized management . According to the data, in 2017 the Russian Ministry of Health has begun drafting a bill and drafting the "Implementation of the Draft of the National Smoking Policy Concept for 2017-2022 and Long Term", which includes combating vape.
This year, significant progress has been made in this regard. In July of this year, the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) passed the first reading of the "Act on the Extension of the" Anti-Tobacco Law to the vape Field ". According to the Russian Federal Law No. 19575-7 "On the Amendment of the Administrative Offences Code" and the Federal Law "On the protection of citizens' health from the effects of tobacco smoke and tobacco use around them" Submitted by Larissa Turina and Edward Isakov. At the core of the proposal is the requirement to include vape in the unified legal management of tobacco control, including hookah and administrative liability for violations of prohibitions and restrictions on its circulation and use.
Russian Deputy Minister of Health Oleg Saraguet is a supporter of this proposal. According to Sarai, it must be considered that vapes also contain nicotine, which can also lead to addiction, and current scientific evidence is insufficient to prove that vape and its products can be used as a means to quit smoking.
Although Russia has not banned vape for the time being, Chechen President Kadrov, known as an iron fist, is preparing to ban vape in Chechnya. He believes that the two Chechen wars have lost many lives, and the younger generation is suffering from harmful substances, including vape, and must be banned.
Russia's related proposals have also received a positive response from the international community. Dr. Vera Luisa Da Costa Silva, head of the Secretariat of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, believes that Russia treats vapes with ordinary cigarettes in an effort to protect its citizens.
Russian media revealed that "the bill on extending the" Anti-Tobacco Law "to the vape field" is expected to be approved by the Federal Council (the upper house of parliament) at the end of this year and will be implemented on January 1, 2020.
As there is currently no specific legislation on vape, vape and hookah can still be used in Russian restaurants and bars, but in the process of use, it has also caused many controversies due to different implementation standards. It is believed that with the further clarification of relevant legislation, especially after the vape and waterpipe are integrated into the unified tobacco management, the Russian vape market will be greatly restricted.
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