TIRANA, August 14/ATA/- After the ban on smoking indoors, Albania begins to implement today the amendments that also prohibit electronic cigarettes, bottles, hookahs or other cigarette-flavored tobacco products.
Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu announced that the new law on health protection from tobacco products comes into force today.
“Indoors are forbidden: smoking, electronic cigarettes with heating, bottles / hookahs, sale of any tobacco product under 18 years of age,” said the minister.
The anti-smoking law also prohibits the sale of tobacco products with characteristic flavors (peppermint, vanilla, etc.) as well as the sale of tobacco packages with a reduced number of cigarettes, as measures to discourage smoking.
Another change in the new law is the obligation imposed on producers and importers of tobacco products to inform the Ministry of Health and Social Protection about introduction of new tobacco products, their characteristics and the adverse effects they have in the population, which will enable better monitoring of law enforcement and its future adaptation, based on new products coming into the country.
Besides, the state has strengthened the administrative measures for violating the law. If a subject violates the article prohibiting smoking indoors 2 times in a row within two months, the fine will be twice the amount of the first fine. If he/she repeats the same violation within one year, he/she will be fined 6 times, up to the termination of the activity and revocation of the license for those subjects who are continuously fined.
The anti-smoking law came into force in 2014 where bars and local restaurants stopped consuming indoors.
According to statistics, 25% of premature deaths in men are due to smoking and 9.1% of premature deaths in women are due to smoking. /z.tosku/j.p/p.s./
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