Does the ban on cigarette advertising apply to sites and pages on the Internet?

With the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On measures to prevent and reduce the use of tobacco products and their harmful effects on the health of the population", it is prohibited to place advertisements on the Internet, social networks or other digital networks.

However, the legislator made several exceptions to this ban and allowed posting information about devices for consuming tobacco products without burning them and electronic cigarettes on the personal pages of individuals. As a result, it is expected that banner ads on websites, as well as targeted ads on social networks, should disappear completely.

Another exception to the prohibition of Internet advertising is the possibility to place the assortment on the websites of manufacturers and importers of devices for the consumption of tobacco products without burning them and electronic cigarettes. However, a mandatory condition for access to such websites is identification of age in accordance with the procedure established by the Cabinet of Ministers. Such an order has not been approved at the moment, and therefore, from July 11 until the order is approved, such websites will not be able to work.