Blog 8: Smoking Ban In Russia

Russian Prime Minister, Dmitri A. Medvedev, is trying to have a law passed by 2015 that bans public smoking from all parts of Russia. This would enrage a large population of the Russian communities since statistics show that over one third of them smoke cigarettes. Along with that, he wants cigarette advertisements banned as well. He also wants the sales tax on cigarettes to be raised to a “substantial level.” He claims the risk is just too great and something needs to be done about it to protect the people. “It works out that each year an entire large city disappears from the earth due to tobacco,” he stated in a recent interview. He is also worried that children will begin to see cigarette smoking around their schools and playgrounds as a normal routine and may pick up on the habit themselves, probably earlier than they should. Some claim Medvedev is doing this to gain political relevance as well as support since he is no longer president. Others think it is a great idea and support him. “People don’t limit themselves anymore, and I do think that something needs to be done,” Alexander Ignatienko said in an interview; a devoted smoker for 19 years.

This is a topic that I so heavily support. My hope is that something like this will make its way to the United States and in the future ban public smoking all over the world. Cigarettes cause more damage than they benefit individuals so I was never able to understand why people felt the need to use them. Health: The Basics, a textbook written by Rebecca J. Donatelle for HEA 201 states that 85-90% of the reported lung cancer cases are called by the use of tobacco products, particularly cigarettes. Second hand smoke has been proven to be just as deadly if not more deadly than actually smoking the cigarette yourself. As Medvedev stated, children are becoming more and more exposed to things like that at a young age and they do not necessarily understand that this wrong, they simply see it and want to try it. It is shocking to learn that over a third of Russia’s population smokes cigarettes, especially when you consider just how large Russia is. It is my hope that this ban will take effect and hopefully serve as example for the United States. America is already faced with enough ailments without the use of cigarettes; no need to make those numbers grow.  

Donatelle, R. (2013). Drinking Alcohol Responsibly and Ending Tobacco Use.  Health: The Basics.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/world/europe/medvedev-calls-for-smoking-ban-in-russia-by-2015.html?ref=health&_r=0