YEREVAN. – It is necessary to postpone for a year the ban on the sale of cigarettes in open shop windows. The co-author of the bill, majority My Step faction member Babken Tunyan, stated this Monday during the National Assembly special session debates on the package of bills on amendments to Armenia’s the law on reduction and prevention of damage to health caused by the use of tobacco products and their substitutes as a result of the use of tobacco products and their substitutes.

According to Tunyan, this ban is necessary for maintaining health, but given the current difficulties associated with the coronavirus, it is proposed to postpone the ban for another year, and therefore it shall come into force as of January 1, 2022. This proposal is set to assist tax collection in times of crisis, as part of the tax is also collected from the sale of tobacco and its products.

These and a number of other legal restrictions apply not only to cigarettes but also to other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.