MOSCOW, October 30 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian government submitted an anti-tobacco bill in the State Duma, under which the smoking will be banned at all public places, including cafes and restaurants, starting from 2015.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the relevant resolution on October 29, the official website of the Cabinet reported on Tuesday. “The draft federal law on the protection of health of people from the impact of the tobacco smoke and the consequences of tobacco consumption is to be submitted in the State Duma,” the document runs.
State Secretary and Deputy Health Minister Sergei Velmyakin was appointed as an official representative during the debates over the bill in the parliament.
This highly publicized document envisages a gradual introduction of the measures, which restrict the consumption of cigarettes. Some of them will take effect after the enactment of the law, other measures will be introduced starting from July 1, 2014 and January 1, 2015.
“Neither the government nor the state authorities are waging a war with smokers, but we are coming out against smoking,” Medvedev said in his video blog on October 16. “If to put it straightforwardly, over 80% of our citizens, including two thirds of habitual smokers, are supporting the struggle against smoking,” he said.
The bill over the restriction of smoking was drafted by the Health Ministry under the presidential decree signed on May 7, 2012. The Russian government approved it on October 18.