Romanians under 18 no longer allowed to buy electronic smoking devices

Romanian deputies adopted a law that prohibits the sale of electronic smoking devices to young people under 18 on Tuesday.

In a decision on Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies banned the sale of various tobacco-related products, including electronic cigarettes, electronic cigarette refills and electronic tobacco heaters, to persons under the age of 18.

This ban includes the sale through vending machines or similar devices, such as easybox/locker-type machines.

An amendment adopted on Tuesday extends the scope of prohibited products for minors to include electronic tobacco heat-not-burn devices, inhalable products, refill cartridges, oral nicotine patches and smokeless tobacco substitute inhalation products.

Educational institutions are now required to implement measures within their internal regulations to enforce compliance with the law regarding the sale, possession and use of tobacco-related products among students.

The legislative initiative introduces fines of up to 100,000 lei (around €20,000), depending on the severity of the offence.

The consumption of conventional cigarettes has decreased among young people in Romania, but the percentage of students aged 13-15 who have tried at least one tobacco product, including heated tobacco products, increased by 7.5% between 2014 and 2017, from 35.9% to 38.6%, the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 2017 reads.

(Sebastian Rotaru | Euractiv.ro)