Rosalkogolregulirovanie from autumn will take control of the turnover of cigarettes. Amendments to Law 203-FZ on tobacco market regulation also come into force on September 1, 2023.
In fact, from the beginning of the document, tobacco products in the country will be subject to the same requirements as alcohol. The reason for the introduction of new market regulation measures was the dominance of counterfeit products of poor quality.
The Ministry of Finance added that, unlike alcohol, retail sales of cigarettes will not yet become a licensed activity, so as not to create an additional burden on small and medium-sized businesses.
According to the amendments, cigarette sales will be controlled through a special monitoring system of the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT, its operator). Manufacturers and importers, as well as suppliers of tobacco products and raw materials should be registered in the system.
Together with the new law, the state assumes the function of setting a price below which entrepreneurs will not be able to sell nicotine-containing products. All of the above requirements will also apply to electronic cigarettes.
As of August 2023, the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes in Russia is 117 rubles, it is set by the Ministry of Agriculture. It is not yet known what the cost of the pack will be after the law comes into force.
It is planned that the new rules will be introduced in stages. Since September, the requirements for license applicants will begin to apply, including in terms of registration of the main technological equipment. Six months later, from March 2024, the provisions on state control, on the withdrawal of products and equipment from illicit trafficking, as well as on the requirements for accounting for production and turnover of products and raw materials will begin to be applied.
Recall that in April of this year, the State Duma adopted a law prohibiting the sale of vapes to minors, as well as the release and circulation of nicotine-containing products with flavors and flavorings. At the same time, fines were determined for the illegal production or trafficking of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, as well as raw materials for their production without a license (if necessary). The penalty for violation is from 150 thousand to 300 thousand rubles for officials or disqualification for a period of two to three years with confiscation (or without it) of manufactured products.
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