Health Ministry Calls on MPs to Vote Against Smoking Regulation Amendments

The Ministry of Health of Armenia urges members of the National Assembly to vote against the draft law aimed at postponing several key provisions of the law on reducing and preventing health damage caused by the use of tobacco products and their substitutes.

Today, the Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly discussed the draft law concerning the postponement of several critical provisions of the aforementioned law. During the committee meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan reiterated the government’s viewpoint that postponing these provisions would further deteriorate the already poor situation, continually endangering the health and lives of thousands of our citizens. The implementation of all provisions of the law is crucial.

These provisions' deadlines had already been postponed at the time of the law’s adoption upon the committee's proposal. No substantiated arguments or evidence have been presented by committee members or the authors of the legislative initiative to justify the delay in enforcing these provisions. The claimed positive impact on the economy is not backed by any calculations, statistical data, or international experience. On the contrary, the law is supported by numerous studies, including those conducted specifically for our country.

Considering that the above draft law lacks any health and economic justification, we call on the MPs to vote AGAINST the draft at the plenary session.