Lax sex shop regulations cause for concern?

TALLINN - Urve Halliksoo, toxicologist from Estonian health inspectorate, said that in the early 1990s, inspectors conducted experiments on some products sold in Tallinn's sex shops.

"We tested condoms and different creams and ointments until 1997. In 1997, a law on testing cosmetic products was approved by the government, but it does not concern products sold in sex shops," she said.

Still today it is voluntary for importers of these products to certify them with the health inspectorate, Halliksoo said.

She said some sex shop products that are for mucous membrane contact may be harmful, although their target consumer group is relatively small. The government pays no proper attention to certify all those products," she added.

There are five sex shops in Tallinn at the moment. "Sexy Land," one of the first sex shops in the Baltic states, opened in Tallinn in October 1992.

To open a sex shop, a retail trade permit is needed.

"There are no special conditions for getting a retail trade permit for a sex shop," said Marika Parn from Tallinn city administration's business department.

Aleksandr Kasjanenko, director of Tern Ltd., which owns "Sexy Land" sex shop, said it is not a problem to get the permit according to the established order. "We need no any special licenses neither from the Ministry of Culture nor from the health department," added Kasjanenko.