The State Duma adopted a bill on fines of up to 2 million rubles for selling tobacco, vapes and hookahs to children, the press service of the lower house reported on the telegram channel.
The bill was passed unanimously, the report says. Now it must be approved by the Federation Council, and then signed by the president.
The document provides for stricter administrative liability under Article 14.53 of the Administrative Code for the sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, devices for its consumption or raw materials for production to minors. In particular, fines for this offense are being increased.:
· for individuals — from a maximum of 60 thousand rubles to 300 thousand rubles;
· for officials — from 300 thousand to 700 thousand rubles;
· for legal entities — from 600 thousand to 2 million rubles.
The document also tightens responsibility for individual violations in the sphere of tobacco and nicotine-containing products.
The bill was submitted to the State Duma in November 2024 by a group of deputies led by Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the lower house.
Vapes have been banned from sale to children since April 2023. Then the relevant law was signed by Vladimir Putin. The ban also applies to nicotine-free vapes.
Volodin proposed increasing fines for selling vapes to minors a year later. He explained that the fines should be such as to "encourage" merchants not to sell prohibited products to children.
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