Putin Backs Nizhny Novgorod Governor’s Idea to Ban Vapes Regionally

Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin proposed a ban on vape sales during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, an idea the president swiftly supported. The State Duma has indicated it will legislate a ban within two months, leading to questions about the scope and effectiveness of these impending restrictions.

President Vladimir Putin has endorsed the idea of banning vapes at the regional level. This proposal was put forth by Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin during a meeting with the president. The initiative aims to grant regions the authority to fully prohibit vape sales within their territories, with Nizhny Novgorod potentially serving as a pilot region for this measure. “Consider me already in agreement,” Putin reportedly said. The Kremlin later published the transcript of their conversation:

Nikitin: “I am very concerned about the spread, especially among young children, of all these smoking mixtures, vapes, and all this rubbish. The problem is, firstly, getting younger. Secondly, it is perceived as something self-evident, normal, even given that it smells less than regular cigarettes. They no longer even hide it. And we see how widespread this is in schools. A legislative initiative on this matter is being developed by the government. There are many nuances. It would be a good idea to consider giving regions the authority for a complete ban. I would be ready to act as a pilot region here to ban this rubbish entirely. Retail, wholesale, in circulation.”

Putin: “Consider me already in agreement; it`s a good suggestion.”

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced that the Duma plans to pass a bill for a complete vape ban within the next two months, with the overwhelming majority of deputies supporting it. Previously, the government had provided negative feedback on such complete ban proposals. However, since 2023, Russia has implemented restrictions on vape sales, prohibiting their sale to minors, open display, and advertising, similar to tobacco products.

Expert Opinions on the Proposed Ban

Maxim Korolev, Chief Editor of the “Russian Tobacco” industry news agency, commented on the idea of banning vapes in individual regions:

“Currently, yes, the discussion is sharp and entirely justified, because, for the most part, the budget receives nothing from this. The market, by various estimates, ranges from 60% to 90%, some say 95% is in the shadows, black market. Therefore, economic reasons alone are sufficient to ban this market. From a healthcare perspective, these were certainly incorrect actions, because it`s a reduced-risk product, delivering nicotine without delivering carcinogens into the body. So, from a theoretical, general point of view, such alternatives should be on the market. But if they are only on the black market, there is nothing good in that.”

Asked what vape users would do if there`s a complete ban: “They would use alternatives that are still legal. There are fewer and fewer of them, of course, but there are heated tobacco products, there are chewing tobaccos. And beyond that, well, the Ministry of Health`s favorite advice is to quit. Formally, three or four bills on this topic have been introduced. Every party, except `United Russia,` notably, introduced one, and all of them were met with negative feedback from the government. So, until higher powers intervene, there really probably won`t be any decision. I don`t think higher powers are concerned about this. Most likely, there won`t be any drastic decision for now. The idea itself, I believe, is foolish, because we have no borders. Everyone will buy from neighboring regions if they want legal products, and most vape consumers already buy illegally. Banned or not banned, regulation doesn`t affect illegal markets, that`s a known fact. We`re looking under the lamppost, yes, but lost it somewhere else. This is a random choice, and it`s no better than Vologda region with its alcohol experiments. This is all self-promotion; maybe someone wants to promote themselves with this initiative. Well, fine, let them experiment, it won`t achieve anything.”

Business FM also spoke with residents of the Nizhny Novgorod region about their thoughts on a vape ban. Local journalist Mark Grigoriev shared his perspective:

Mark Grigoriev, Journalist: “It`s quite surprising to me that Nizhny Novgorod region has become the first swallow in banning vapes, because, it seemed, nothing at all foreshadowed it. There wasn`t even any loud news event. What I think – you know, I`m actually a former smoker; I smoked for many years. I can say that vapes, just like cigarettes, of course, are a terrible phenomenon; nicotine addiction is bad. What`s `good` about cigarettes is that they stink, they`re unpleasant, they smell bad. And that`s actually a very good reason to always quit. But with vapes, supposedly, there`s no point in quitting because `everything tastes good,` it doesn`t bother anyone, it`s somehow `beautiful.` Yet, the nicotine is the same. Despite my general dislike for bans, I lean towards believing that sometimes there are positive bans, and this will certainly be pushed through. Regarding concern for children: I`m always very skeptical of any initiatives pushed through on the basis of children. But there`s a real problem here, because, essentially, you can go out on the street, walk by any school, and see children walking around smoking them. And it`s a full-fledged negative addiction. You walk around, you see 10-12 year olds with vapes, it`s frightening. We want some regulations; we want some adequate work with this, because, as we see with bans on selling vapes to children, just like with alcohol bans, there will always be places where they will sell it to you anyway.”

International Precedents and Further Analysis

Bans on electronic cigarettes are in effect in a number of Asian countries, including India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore. Tourists are prohibited from importing vapes and IQOS devices into these nations, and possession or use can lead to fines. Among former Soviet republics, vapes are banned in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The sale and import of vapes are also prohibited in Turkey, Argentina, and Brazil. In Oman and Qatar, carrying a vape can result in imprisonment.

Vasily Sokolov, former director of the Zenmod vape shop chain, offered his perspective:

Vasily Sokolov: “The reason for vape bans is very simple: most states, practically all states, are fighting against the consumption of nicotine-containing products, such as regular cigarettes and other alternative consumption methods, specifically to improve public health, reduce healthcare costs, and increase the duration of the population`s working age. Vapes, in turn, offer something different: many countries are now aiming to completely abandon tobacco, meaning at some point introducing a ban on tobacco sales to people born after a certain year. Before the emergence of vapes, and in Russia too, tobacco consumption, regular cigarettes, had significantly decreased. Young people stopped smoking because it became unfashionable; a healthy lifestyle became popular. Then vapes appeared, and schoolchildren almost universally began to acquire nicotine addiction from early childhood, even in middle school. Attempts to regulate the vape market were certainly made, but they were very clumsy, untimely, and greatly delayed. And consequently, at present, the market is uncontrolled, and the existing prohibitions are not complied with at all.”

Regarding vapes being equated to drugs in some countries: “I haven`t heard of them being directly equated to drugs. Criminal liability for distribution, and in some cases even for possession, I have heard of. In my opinion, there was quite strict liability in Thailand, for instance, but it was absolutely not enforced; they were sold even on the streets the entire time they were banned there.”

Regarding IQOS and other heated tobacco devices: “The attitude towards them is generally more lenient everywhere. This is because regular cigarettes are not banned there, and IQOS are mostly considered tobacco products. IQOS itself, it smells, it frankly smells very strongly, and it`s immediately noticeable when someone uses IQOS indoors. Children use vapes simply because they don`t smell; that is, a child can use a vape right during a lesson at school, and no one notices it. Given that for two years there have been talks that it`s time, it`s time, and now Putin has said it`s time, well, let`s hope that maybe it really is time.”