Man, sit down because I found out a good one! And it's not some reality show, it's for real. ANPC, the City Halls, Philip Morris, and Mega Image sat down at the table and launched the 'Zero Compromises' campaign – meaning zero cigarettes and vapes for minors. No joke! They made a platform, ZeroCompromisuri.ro, where it's written in black and white: selling to those under 18 is forbidden, including through easyboxes. And you know how many Romanians believe the law is actually enforced? Only 35.4%, the rest of 64.6% say it's smoke and mirrors. Man, but even Mioara said that those guys at Mega never asked for her ID when she bought cigarettes – and she's 38, not 18. But if Brian, the 14-year-old kid, comes along, what do they do?
The president of ANPC, Csaba Lajos Bekesi, said it sweetly: 'Protecting minors must remain a clear and constant priority. Respecting the law is not optional.' The man is right, but I for one am not buying the story that it'll happen overnight. How many of us have seen any inspection at the corner store? Me, for example, when I went with the guys from the service to grab a coffee, I saw a 15-year-old kid buying cigarettes from a vending machine. And nobody said anything. So let's be serious: the campaign is nice, but without real sanctions, it's all hot air.
Ionuț Pucheanu, the mayor of Galați and first vice-president of AMR, emphasized that 'local communities have an important role in strengthening social norms that protect minors.' Bravo, Mr. Mayor! But let's see how it is in Galați: there, they probably clean up, but me, in Berceni, I don't really see inspections. The neighbor from apartment 4, old man Gheorghe, has been smoking since he was 12 and nothing happened to him. So, if we go by the INSCOP Research survey from April 2026, 64.6% are absolutely right: the law is applied to a small extent or not at all.
Carmina Fusté, the head of Philip Morris Romania, stated: 'Tobacco and nicotine products are intended exclusively for adults, and protecting minors is a collective responsibility.' Nice, but Philip Morris is a major shareholder in the tobacco industry, so it's like the fox guarding the henhouse. On the other hand, the concrete measures they announced – training for staff, age verification online, periodic audits – sound good. Let's see how long they last.
Bogdan Biță, from Mega Image, said that 'protecting minors is not just a legal obligation, but a moral duty.' Well, if it's moral, why don't they check the age of all customers buying tobacco? I'll go to Mega tomorrow to see if they ask for ID. If not, it means it's just for show. And Ion Biriș, from HORA, added that 'age verification must be a normal practice.' Normal, but how normal is it in Romania, where everything is done based on connections and favors?
In the end, this campaign is like a breath of fresh air, but I don't think much will change if they don't impose serious fines. Who pays, bro? Us, the taxpayers, and we'll still have kids smoking at 15. But come on, I'm going to tell Brian to check out the site ZeroCompromisuri.ro, maybe he'll learn something too. But until then, I'm not kidding myself: in Romania, if you haven't beaten the path, nothing happens.
