While earlier this year a draft amendment by Ministry of Health was proposing banning smoking at outdoor dining spaces, nightclubs and near gas stations, the proposal has now been removed following public consultations.

In the new iteration, smoking is now allowed in designated places at gas stations, outdoor dining spaces, and public outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces.

The bill also proposes updating the universal no smoking sign to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. It will depict a lit cigarette next to an activated tobacco heater, an activated e-cigarette and a hookah, all placed inside a red circle crossed by a backslash of the same color. Today this sign in Moldova only depicts a lit cigarette.

Health care authorities warn that tobacco, in any form of consumption, has a devastating impact on the health of the population. According to estimates, approximately 6 thousand people in the Republic of Moldova die prematurely every year due to tobacco consumption. In recent years, authorities grow more and more concerned about the increase in the use of heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, especially among adolescents.