The sale of pastries was completely banned in Karelia. As of March 1, 2027, it will be impossible to sell electronic cigarettes and liquids for them in the Republic. Moreover, the ban applies to all buyers, regardless of age, and will be in effect until March 2032.
The parliament of Karelia adopted the corresponding law on November 12 in two readings at once. The initiator was the head of the republic, Artur Perpchikov.
According to the regional authorities, in 2024 the republic ranked first in Russia in sales of vapors and consumables for them. In just one quarter, 185 thousand standard packages of products were sold.
Similar laws have already been adopted in the Leningrad Region and Mary El. In St. Petersburg, the ban has so far passed on first reading. Gradually, more and more regions are coming to this decision - and this is a good trend. The sale of vapor to minors was banned back in 2023, but the problem of nicotine addiction among teenagers has not disappeared. Therefore, the authorities are now going further and restricting the trade itself.
Of course, the bans will require serious monitoring. Otherwise, the trade will simply move to the Internet and the illegal market. But it is fundamentally important that the regions no longer want to put up with the proliferation of products that create nicotine addiction, including among teenagers.
And it is absolutely true that when making such decisions, people's health comes first, not the income of vape sellers.
Konstantin Dwinsky.