On March 4, the State Duma adopted in the first reading amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) on liability for the sale of energy products to children and adolescents. During the lengthy discussion, the deputies mostly spoke in favor of increased punishment. Only TV scientist Anatoly Wasserman stood up for the energy industry, but even his colleagues in the faction immediately dissociated themselves from him.
Amendments to the Administrative Code were submitted to the Duma at the end of last year by a group of deputies led by the chairmen of the committees on security, economic policy and family affairs Vasily Piskarev, Maxim Topilin (both United Russia, EP) and Nina Ostanina (KPRF). The document proposes to introduce fines for the sale of non-alcoholic tonic drinks to minors. The amounts will range from 30 thousand to 50 thousand rubles. for citizens, from 100 thousand to 200 thousand rubles. for officials and from 300 thousand to 500 thousand rubles. for legal entities.
The term "tonic drinks" is fixed in the technical regulations of the Customs Union "On food safety". Such drinks contain tonic substances, including those of plant origin (caffeine), "in an amount sufficient to provide a tonic effect on the human body, with the exception of tea, coffee and beverages based on them." In the Russian market, this category includes, for example, Red Bull, Adrenaline RUSH and other "energy companies".
Presenting the draft, Nina Ostanina recalled that the law banning the sale of such drinks to minors, which developed amendments to the Administrative Code, entered into force on March 1. At the same time, she expressed the opinion that it is necessary to ban the sale of energy not only to children, but also to adults, as well as to introduce criminal penalties for repeated violations.
The deputies who spoke next mostly proposed even tougher measures to combat energy companies. Vladimir Sipyagin (LDPR) expressed the idea of increasing fines for malicious violators. Biysultan Khamzayev (EP) proposed to fight the advertising of energy products on the Internet, "including by draconian methods." Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR) complained that many sellers circumvent existing prohibitions and said that such things should be punished with correctional labor.
The dissonance in this well—coordinated chorus was the speech of the TV scholar Anatoly Wasserman (Fair Russia - For Truth, SRWP), who decisively stated: "Against the background of many other negative factors affecting children's health, the influence of energy companies is not visible," adding that tea and coffee could just as well be banned.
"If we follow this logic, we will have to think about whether we should ban life altogether, since people die from it sooner or later," the Socialist—revolutionary sarcastically summed up.
Colleagues in the faction hastened to disown their colleague. Oleg Nilov assured that the SRRP will support the amendments to the Administrative Code. Nina Ostanina reminded that the technical regulations list the ingredients of the tonic drink, which distinguish it from tea and coffee. And, most importantly, the law banning the sale of energy products was signed by the president. "Well, argue with the president, say he's wrong. Dare you do that?" Nina Ostanina made the decisive argument.
But Mr. Wasserman still dared and turned out to be the only one who voted against, with 400 deputies in favor and one abstention.
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