The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted on first reading the bill "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on State Regulation of the Production and Circulation of Tobacco Products (on Clarification of Certain Provisions)". 299 people's deputies voted for this decision on Tuesday. \n \nAs a LIGABusinessInform correspondent reports, the bill provides for amendments to the laws "On Measures to Prevent and Reduce the Consumption of Tobacco Products and Their Harmful Effects on Public Health" and "On State Regulation of the Production and Circulation of Ethyl, Cognac and Fruit Spirits, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Products". \n \nThey propose a new wording of the terms "tar" and "nicotine". In addition, the bill prohibits the use on cigarette packaging of terms, inscriptions, trademarks, images, symbolic or any other signs that may mislead or create a false impression regarding the characteristics of tobacco products, their effect on health, directly or indirectly create a false impression that a certain tobacco product is less harmful than other tobacco products, including containing such terms as "low tar", "light", "super light", "ultra light" and their analogues in other languages. \n \nThe introduction of a similar norm in EU countries led to a scandal, as foreign tobacco manufacturers are confident that the introduction of such restrictions is nothing other than the European Union exceeding its powers. \n \nAs for Ukraine, currently the Law "On Measures to Prevent and Reduce the Consumption of Tobacco Products and Their Harmful Effects on Public Health" establishes the following restrictions: "...retail and wholesale trade, production, except production for export, import for sale on the territory of Ukraine of tobacco products is prohibited: in which the indicators of nicotine and tar content in tobacco products and tobacco smoke exceed - nicotine 1.2 milligrams, tar - 12 milligrams; on the packaging of which there are no medical warnings for consumers of tobacco products; with the use on their packaging of inscriptions, names, images, signs that may mislead regarding the characteristics of tobacco products, including such characteristics as "light", "ultra light", "mild", "low tar"". \n \nThe need to adopt the aforementioned bill is caused by the inconsistency of certain provisions and terms of the Laws "On Measures to Prevent and Reduce the Consumption of Tobacco Products and Their Harmful Effects on Public Health" and "On State Regulation of the Production and Circulation of Ethyl, Cognac and Fruit Spirits, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Products" with the corresponding provisions of European Union legislation.