Russia: Towards an imminent ban on tobacco for younger generations?

A Russian party is considering banning the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to people born after 2009. If the bill passes, it would establish the first tobacco-free generation in Russia starting in 2028.

Although it has not yet been considered by the government, the bill has already been adopted by the New People party (in Russian: New people), member of the All-Russian Popular Front and supporter of Vladimir Putin[1].

The health impact of smoking in Russia

The authors of this proposal believe that the latter will drastically reduce the number of smokers among the younger generation, making it possible in the longer term to eradicate almost all of the share of diseases related to tobacco consumption. According to a study conducted in 2021, Russia has about 32 million smokers, corresponding to a smoking prevalence of 26.8% among the adult population (2020). Tobacco and alcohol consumption are among the main factors of premature mortality. Indeed, smoking causes more than 220,000 deaths per year, corresponding to 20% of deaths in the country, while alcohol caused the death of 14.18 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019.[2][3].

9.5 billion euros of health expenditure per year

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade and Industry have already expressed their opposition to such a measure, considering that it would have negative economic consequences for the country as a whole. Similarly, opponents of the bill believe that the gradual ban on tobacco and nicotine products would result in a loss of tax revenues for the state, a significant part of whose efforts are currently focused on the conflict in Ukraine. However, as the authors of the bill point out, while the gradual increase in the legal age is likely to lead to a decrease in tax revenues from tobacco sales in the short term, this provision would significantly reduce health care costs related to the pathologies that smoking causes. Indeed, according to the authors of the bill, health care costs associated with tobacco consumption amount to approximately 1,000 billion rubles, or 9.5 billion euros per year.

Opponents of the measure see a risk of growth of organized crime

An article in The Spectator newspaper highlights the paternalistic nature of the measure, which, according to the author, is part of the "babushka state", the Russian-language version of the "nanny state". Above all, the author links this proposed ban with the anti-alcohol campaign led by Mikhail Gorbachov between 1985 and 1988, believing that it had ended in failure and the development of organised crime.[4]. In reality, the anti-alcohol campaign, although unpopular, had been an undeniable success: 5.5 million newborns were born each year during the anti-alcohol decree, 500,000 more than in the last 20 or 30 years, premature births fell by 8%, the crime rate decreased, and male life expectancy jumped by 2.6 years, reaching a record in the entire history of Russia. Moreover, the risks of market distortion are lower, since the proposal simply aims to prevent young consumers from becoming addicted to tobacco and nicotine. Finally, the explosion of organized crime was observed from the 1990s, mainly due to the context of the breakup of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of public power.

©Tobacco Free Generation

FT

[1] Oboz Info, Россиянам, рожденным после 2009 года, могут запретить курить законодат ельно, 01/10/2024, (accessed 30/10/2024)

[2] Statista, Number of deaths caused by alcohol use disorders in Russia from 1990 to 2019, 08/11/2022, (accessed 30/10/2024)

[3] Global action to end smoking, State of Smoking and Health in Russia, 2021, (accessed 10/30/2024)

[4] The Spectator, Can Russia really ban smoking?, 10/27/2024, (accessed 10/30/2024)