Russian State Duma proposes restrictions on vape and vape oil shipments

A member of the Budget and Taxation Committee of the Russian State Duma, doctor Eilat Farakhov (Айрат Фаррахов), said that the current legislation is not effective in combating the circulation of illegal nicotine products, and he proposed to restrict the transport of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette oil to individuals, the Russian newspaper “Parliament” reported. The bill will be discussed on June 26 at a meeting of the Russian State Duma Committee on Government Construction and Legislation.

According to expert assessments, the market for illegal e-cigarettes in Russia is growing by 20% annually. People bring in cheap nicotine products from member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, but many of these products are counterfeit and harmful to health. These products are unlabeled and sold in physical stores and online stores.

Farahov emphasizes:

“The current law is not effective in combating the circulation of illegal nicotine products.”

He said this situation leads to a decrease in Russian revenues and threatens the health of consumers who buy illegally imported goods.

The MPs are working on a bill that aims to fill the legislative gap in this area.

They noted that for tobacco and cigarette products, there are already personal use restrictions in place, and if an individual illegally transports tobacco products, he or she will be fined 15,000 to 25,000 rubles under Article 14.53.1 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses.

Now they want to establish similar restrictions for people carrying e-cigarettes and e-cigarette oils.

Under this bill, individuals may carry no more than 200 unmarked heated tobacco products or nicotine products with a total nicotine liquid volume of no more than 50 ml for personal consumption. Those who violate these restrictions face fines of up to 25,000 rubles, the same as those for illegally carrying regular cigarettes.