Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed laws establishing licensing of wholesale and retail sales of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. This was announced by the Ministry of Finance.
Licenses for retail and delivery trade, in accordance with the law, will be issued separately for each retail facility or vehicle.
The procedure for calculating the area around educational institutions, within which the sale of tobacco and vapes is prohibited, is being clarified.
In addition, regions are given the right to ban the retail sale of vapes and their liquids, as well as other electronic nicotine delivery systems.
Such an experimental regime will be in effect for five years — from March 1, 2027 to March 1, 2032. Based on its results, it is planned to analyze the effect of the introduction of restrictions in the regions that decide to apply it. In regions where these measures will not be introduced, general regulation will remain in place.
Large-scale and especially large-scale criminal liability is introduced for wholesale and retail sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products without a license, including fines, forced labor and other measures.
