Russia proposes anti-smoking laws

Proposed laws in Russia will bring fines for smoking in public, following the adoption of international anti-tobacco laws, a legislator said. Amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses will bring Russia in accordance with international practice in regulating tobacco, legislator Sergei Zheleznyak said, noting they will "introduce administrative penalties for smoking in public places where it is banned by law," as well as a "law on advertising that bans any tobacco advertising in the mass media and on the Internet." The proposed law bans smoking in public places, on urban and inter-urban transport, at work and in workplaces, and fines for smoking will amount to 1,000 to 1,500 rubles ($33-50), the Russian ITAR-Tass news agency reported Wednesday. It will also raise the price of cigarettes through excise taxes, and will set minimum prices for retail sale of cigarettes, the news agency said.