Kyiv to take measures to shield residents from tobacco and e-cigarette risks
On June 23, the all–Ukrainian campaign "Youth Free from Smoking" and the NGO "Civic Center representative office "Life" held a round table, "Strengthening the protection of the population of Kyiv against the effects of secondary tobacco emissions and electronic smoking devices" at Vcentri HUB (Communication Center communal non-commercial enterprise).
Rubryka informs about this.
What is the problem?
In Ukraine, 130,000 people die every year from smoking. And the Ukrainian economy loses about 3.2% of GDP every year due to the costs of treating diseases — the consequences of active and passive smoking, the loss of working capacity of Ukrainians, and the premature death of some of them. In 2021, the extrapolated loss of Ukraine due to smoking reached 179 billion hryvnias.
What is the solution?
The collaborative contribution of the specialists of the Departments of the Kyiv City State Administration, the State Production and Consumer Service in Kyiv, the National Police, the Kyiv City Center for Health and Welfare, and the general public will aid in safeguarding the well-being of Kyiv residents, particularly children and young adults, from the detrimental effects of tobacco smoke and emissions from electronic smoking devices, as promoting optimal health is paramount to Ukraine's progression.
How does it work?
During the round table, the results of the all-Ukrainian public monitoring of compliance with the ban on smoking in the premises of restaurants conducted in Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Dnipro, and Odesa were presented. Volunteers monitored 320 restaurants, including 120 in Kyiv. In particular, in Kyiv, 80% of establishments comply with the ban on smoking tobacco products, hookahs, and electronic smoking devices indoors.
For smoking in places prohibited by law, the current legislation provides for a fine from 1,000 to 1,000 thousand hryvnias for restaurant establishments. From July 11, 2023, such a fine will amount to 3,000 hryvnias for the first violation and 15,000 hryvnias for each subsequent violation during the year. For smokers-violators, the sanction ranges from UAH 51 to UAH 340.
Most often, unscrupulous business entities provide illegal hookah smoking services (92%); in 54% of cases, smoking of electronic devices, which the law also prohibits, was ignored. According to the current legislation, the owners of the premises of institutions and organizations of all forms of ownership are obliged to post an informational notice about the prohibition of smoking on their premises – monitoring showed that currently, 68% of cafes, bars, restaurants in Kyiv do not have such a notice, 14% have a notice of the correct form and content. 9% have a message, but it does not comply with the provisions of the law.
From July 11, 2023, business entities will be liable in the amount of UAH 1,000 for the lack of an information notice in places where smoking is prohibited.
The participants of the event agreed on steps to intensify cooperation in the field of informing the population of Kyiv about the requirements of anti-tobacco legislation, in particular – placing informational notices about the ban on smoking at public transport stops and educational work with legal entities to place notices in their enterprises and institutions.
Participants were reminded that every citizen can file a complaint through the https://nosmoking.phc.org.ua service about smoking in restaurants, cafes, bars, and public places, illegal advertising, and the sale of tobacco products. The Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine developed the service for monitoring violations of anti-tobacco legislation. The State Production and Consumer Service provides an electronic form that can be utilized on its website.
For reference:
It should be noted that Nature Communications has published a new study about electronic cigarettes. During observations, scientists discovered that exposure to electronic cigarette aerosols can cause arrhythmias and cardiac electrical dysfunction.
Rubryka also reported that on April 20, the Verkhovna Rada [the Ukrainian parliament – ed.] registered a bill that could ban any flavored tobacco products: electronic and capsule. According to the Kyiv International Sociology Institute's study, the use of the latest tobacco products, including electronic ones, is proliferating in Ukraine.
