Russian parliament will back groundbreaking tobacco ban – speaker

The proposed law would prohibit the sale of cigarettes and vapes to teens in a bid to curb new addictions

The Russian government is set to consider prohibiting the sale of tobacco products and paraphernalia to anyone born after 2009. Supporters of new legislation say the move will help to reduce the number of new addictions and hurt the bottom line of Western producers.

The draft law, which was first reported by the Russian media last week, would make it illegal to sell cigarettes, vapes and similar goods to anyone born after December 31, 2009. The New People faction in the parliament, which penned the legislation, sent it to the cabinet on Wednesday.

MP Ksenia Goryacheva, who introduced the proposal to the media at the State Duma, the lower chamber of the parliament, said the idea was that many people suffering from nicotine addiction get hooked before becoming adults. When they turn 18, many regret having acquired the bad habit and try to beat it, but few manage to do so.

“If we keep things as they are, we will keep enriching tobacco corporations in the US, the UK, Japan – the nations that currently pursue hostile policies towards Russia,” Goryacheva argued.

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The only reasonable objection to the proposal, the faction believes, is that the drop in sales will inevitably lead to a drop in tax revenues. But this is not a valid concern, considering how much the Russian national healthcare system, which is funded to a large degree by taxpayers’ money, will save thanks to the reduction in illnesses caused by tobacco, the MP said.

Last year, Goryacheva said, the Russian treasury received some $7.4 billion from taxes on the tobacco industry and spent $10.6 billion on healthcare treatments for smokers. The indirect economic cost is estimated at almost $60 billion, she added.

State Duma Chair Vyacheslav Volodin backed the draft law during a parliament session later in the day.

“You say some people want to boost the budget [by taxing tobacco]. Trust me, nobody does. Everyone in this chamber will vote for and support your initiative,” he promised.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged young people to stay away from e-cigarettes. They are quite harmful and don’t make users look cool, he said, adding that acquiring them is no big deal compared with real achievements in sports or academia.