The Verkhovna Rada has registered draft law No. 15196, which provides for a significant increase in smoking restrictions for minors. The initiative applies not only to traditional cigarettes, but also to electronic devices, hookahs and herbal mixtures. The draft law aims to reduce smoking-related morbidity and mortality among young people.
Draft law No. 15196: new restrictions for teenagers
Draft law No. 15196, authored by MP George Mazurashu. The document proposes to amend the current legislation to tighten restrictions on smoking and the use of tobacco and nicotine products for people under the age of 17. The amendments apply not only to traditional cigarettes, but also to e-cigarettes, hookahs, herbal smoking mixtures, and devices for the consumption of tobacco without combustion.
The draft law proposes to clearly establish a ban on smoking, consumption and use of any tobacco products and related devices for persons under the age of 17. According to the author, the goal is to reduce smoking-related morbidity and mortality, especially among adolescents.
UK experience and current trends
The explanatory note to the draft law states example of the UK, which already has a similar ban for people born after 1 January 2009. Not only smoking is prohibited there, but also the use of e-cigarettes, hookahs and other devices for tobacco consumption by minors. The Ukrainian draft law envisages the possibility of introducing similar regulations.
In Ukraine, according to the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data, there has been a stagnation or even an increase in the use of tobacco and nicotine products among adolescents by 5-10%. Most alarmingly, one in five adolescents (19.6%) use e-cigarettes, a trend that has not changed since 2017.
Alarming statistics and challenges for society
Tobacco manufacturers« marketing strategies are increasingly targeting young people, despite declaring products as »for adults". The high affordability of tobacco products remains a problem: almost half of adolescents (47.3%) do not have difficulty buying cigarettes because of their age.
Studies also show that the effectiveness of anti-tobacco warnings is declining: only 21.6% of students thought about quitting smoking after reading the warnings. Young people are actively using alternative nicotine products, such as pouches, HTPs, and smokeless tobacco, which also creates addiction and carries health risks.
Why it matters
Nicotine use during adolescence has a particularly negative impact on brain development and learning abilities. In addition to nicotine, vape mixtures contain a number of dangerous chemicals that can lead to serious health problems in the future.
Draft Law No. 15196 aims to stop the spread of smoking among young people and protect the new generation from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine. Experts estimate that each cigarette smoked reduces life expectancy by 20 minutes, which underscores the critical need to strengthen prevention measures specifically for adolescents.
The introduction of new restrictions could be an effective step in fighting tobacco addiction among young people, as well as promote healthy lifestyles and raise awareness of the consequences of smoking.
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