The sale of vape is again prohibited. Now in St. Petersburg.
This bill was approved in first reading by the city's legislative assembly. The Perm region was the first to exercise the right to independently impose a ban on vaporizers in Russia - the sale of vaporizers there has been prohibited since March of this year. Now, half a year later, it turned out that in the end they simply put up with the ban, says Rossiyskaya Gazeta reporter from Prem Konstantin Bacharab. According to him, the sale of vapes in the city has almost completely stopped. But there is a nuance. Young people began switching to regular cigarettes en masse.
What affects more the health of the smoker himself and the people around him - smoking vape or regular cigarettes - is a controversial question. Concerns that the ban on vaping will lead to an increase in the consumption of classic tobacco were also voiced by the deputies of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly. On first reading, the bill banning vaporizers, however, passed unanimously. It is important that tobacco heating devices like iqos are not banned.
The departure of the electronic vaporizer market into a gray area will lead to a complete lack of control, explains Alexey Mostovshchikov, founder of the Petersmoke tobacco shop franchise. In his opinion, the shadow trade in the city will remain anyway. And its main consumers will be children and teenagers. As for small and medium-sized offline businesses, those who initially focused on a diverse selection will be able to adapt and survive, Mostovshchikov believes.
If the ban is finally approved, it will take effect on March 1 next year and last for five years. Meanwhile, many market participants perceived the introduction of such harsh measures in the northern capital as a clear signal to Moscow. Moreover, recently the Moscow District Duma directly proposed to introduce a ban on vaping - immediately in Moscow and the Moscow region. This need was explained there in the close logistical connection of these factors.
Author: Olga Kashinskaya.
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