The key facts
- SHOT PROVERKA examined the vape market, including 'nicotine-free' devices aimed at children
- Journalist Oleg Sidyakin, posing as a wholesale buyer, studied the chain from shops to manufacturers and sent samples to a laboratory
- Life.ru previously reported a possible ban on the sale of nicotine-containing products for those born after January 1, 2009
Investigation into vapes and children
The SHOT PROVERKA project (Life.ru) released an investigation into the vape business. Its heroine vaped for more than three years until she found it hard to breathe. According to the authors, tobacco companies attract children with sweet flavors, bright bodies, built-in games and the label 'nicotine-free', while the consequences cited include lung damage, heart problems and addiction.
How the check was conducted
Journalist Oleg Sidyakin traced the path from tobacco shops to suppliers and manufacturers. Posing as a wholesale buyer, he learned how this business works, sent product samples to a laboratory and met people who needed medical help after using vapes.
Context: a possible 'generational ban'
Life.ru previously reported that a 'generational ban' on the sale of nicotine-containing and alternative tobacco products may appear in Russia. Under the proposal, the restrictions would affect citizens born after January 1, 2009 — the oldest of them are now about seventeen years old. The ban would cover vapes, e-cigarettes, chewing mixes and hookah raw materials; according to the idea's authors, access to these goods would not open even after reaching adulthood.
Additional mentions
The article also references a publication about Selena Gomez's admission, in which, according to the outlet, she said that vapes 'changed her voice forever', adding the words 'it's not worth it'.
