2024-07-08 01:36:00
“This looks like a very correct, good decision, because Latvian society smokes a lot, emphasized the Director General of the SRS. However, she noted that, seeing what kind of electronic cigarettes are on the legal market, then in principle the legal market should decrease by 70-90 percent, because there are currently about that many products with those flavors and smells that will be banned from January 1.
Baiba Šmite-Roķe also indicated that from January 1, tobacco substitute products may leave the legal market, in which the amount of nicotine will have to be reduced from January 1. “I really want to hope that the business will be so honest, will really close all the legal ones and not go into the gray zone, I believe in our businessmen, but still we know and see today from the practical side that there are a lot of illegal workers who are already “Telegram ” channels sell these products.” According to her, even though the SRS and the State Police have closed websites on the Internet where these products were sold, tens, if not hundreds, of young people, including 10- to 12-year-old teenagers, can now safely buy these products on “Telegram” channels. “What will happen on January 1? This is what scares us. These decisions are correct, but they are too populist because the control mechanisms are not put in place. Neither the State Police nor the SRS have been given any other tools, we simply ban a whole category of products, we simply push them into the illegal market. (..) It’s painful, I really consider it a populist decision, because there are no control mechanisms,” said the director general of the SRS at the forum on smuggling issues.
The rapid growth of the illegal market for these products also raises concerns about the ability and capacity of the country’s law enforcement agencies to respond effectively and combat the expected increase in illegal trade. According to Emīla Ozoliņa, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Tobacco-Free Products, the illegal market for electronic smoking devices is already twice as large as the illegal market for traditional cigarettes. “If the illegal market for traditional cigarettes is 8-15%, then for e-cigarettes it is about 28-30%, and the trend is growing, emphasizes Emīls Ozoliņš. He points out that the main concern of the amendments to the law is supposedly for children and young people, but they do not shop at legal outlets. “The legal trader has paid taxes, the product has passed the necessary quality control, and he will never sell, say, e-cigarettes or tobacco heating products to a person under 18 years of age. The problem is that these products are very easily available to children and young people on the illegal market, but the legal market is in no way to blame for this situation,” explains the chairman of the board of the Smokeless Products Association.
Already now, on various Internet sites, especially in the Telegram channel chats, there is no shortage of advertisements about the possibilities of purchasing electronic cigarettes and the liquids used in them at much cheaper prices than in stores. No one cares whether they are bought by an adult, a teenager or a child. Such products have usually not passed quality control, most of them do not contain the 2mg of nicotine allowed in Europe, but 5mg, and it is not known what substances are hidden under the ingredients necessary for the preparation of e-liquid. Due to the use of such contraband products, health can be seriously harmed and, as Emīls Ozoliņš says, it is only a matter of time when a party with a completely nonsensical composition may appear, and huge problems will arise.
Emīls Ozoliņš points out another absurd provision of the law, which will drive not only traders, but also many users “underground”. “Tobacco flavor is allowed, but 90% of users of these products are not interested in tobacco flavor. Some of the vapers are ex-smokers who are happy that they don’t smoke anymore, and they don’t want to hear about this tobacco aroma, nor do they want to feel it. And the state does not allow them to forget this tobacco aroma, but tries to force it.”
According to him, the legislator did not understand that initially the tobacco flavor was added to e-cigarettes, which are still a relatively new product, in order to motivate smokers to switch to the healthier use of e-cigarettes. After that, manufacturers realized that they could add other flavors that users liked much better. “There is no question of attracting children and young people. As we know, adults also really like different flavors and fruits, otherwise there wouldn’t be alcoholic beverages with different kinds of flavors. Then it would be just as well to ban all kinds of colorful cocktails, which are in places visible to children, and to determine that alcohol may only be vodka-flavored. However, when it comes to alcohol, such an argument has never appeared,” says the head of the Association of Tobacco-Free Products ironically.
The association hopes that the Constitutional Court will evaluate the procedure by which this law was adopted and the arguments on which it is based. “Following the progress of the adoption of this law, we can say that it is in no way based on any facts, data or common sense. It is a populist decision that came from the previous Saeima – something simply had to be done, and something was done. This law is absurd not only because it will in no way help to achieve the goal of preventing children and young people from vaping, but it will also drive a completely legal industry and consumers underground.”
2024-07-08 01:36:00