The Ministry of Health in Greece is introducing stricter regulations on alcohol sales to minors, as well as tighter controls on the sale and use of new tobacco and nicotine-based products, to include cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vaping substances, and synthetic nicotine items.
A draft of the bill is being reviewed by the government today, in the wake of what is being called a serious and worrying trend of alcohol abuse by minors. The legal overhaul aims to protect minors from all harmful substances and improve enforcement mechanisms.
Many of the regulation changes center around where products can be sold, reinforced age verification at points of sale, and harsher penalties for retailers selling to minors.
Further, the bill creates a new department within the National Public Health Organization specifically to monitor and enforce the revised laws on these substances.