Romania’s Parliament wants to ban the display of cigarettes in stores

The Health Committee within Romania’s Chamber of Deputies has approved an amendment to the law on smoking that forbids the display of cigarettes in the units where they are sold. This will prevent consumers from seeing if a shop sells cigarettes or not and from comparing the prices of various cigarette brands, according to local news site Profit.ro. The cigarette producers have protested against the measure, sending letters to the Chamber of Deputies. The large tobacco producers have argued that about 75,000 small entrepreneurs that also sell cigarettes would be affected. The measure would also have an impact on the state budget, by reducing sales and thus budget contributions, according to producers. The Chamber of Deputies is currently working on a new law, which would ban smoking in all public spaces. Romanian Pneumology Society calls for a smoking ban in enclosed public places Study: 84% of Romanians want smoking ban in public places Smoking ban proposal would affect 85% of Romania’s restaurants, cafes editor@romania-insider.com