Russia Shuts Down 180 Websites Selling Vaping Products to Minors; 149 Operators Fined

Artyom Metelev, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Youth Policy, said that Russia has blocked 180 websites illegally selling e-cigarettes to minors.

News flash: According to a September 16 report by Russian media outlet life.ru, Artyom Metelev, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Youth Policy, said that Russia has blocked 180 websites illegally selling e-cigarettes to minors. 

According to earlier reports, in July Metelev asked the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing to block more than 250 websites for illegally selling e-cigarettes to children. 

Metelev said: “In response to this request, the Prosecutor General’s Office has blocked 180 websites through the courts, and the 149 business operators involved have also been held accountable, paying a total of about 7 million rubles in fines (approximately RMB 530,000).” 

He added that he is awaiting a “principled decision” from the government on a ban on flavor additives for e-cigarettes.