MOSCOW, January 16 (Itar-Tass) – The Russian State Duma plans to consider Russia’s controversial ‘anti-tobacco’ bill in the second reading on January 25, LDPR deputy Sergei Kalashnikov, the head of the State Duma Committee for Health Protection, told journalists on Wednesday.
Commenting on media reports, Kalashnikov voiced support for the United Russia’s initiative to establish a fine worth 3,000 rubles for smoking in public places.
Nikolai Gerasimenko, the former first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee for Health Protection (the United Russia Party), confirmed in an interview with Itar-Tass that deputies were not planning to ban special smoking rooms at enterprises.
"Smoking will be totally banned at schools and in hospitals. This provision has already been included in the future bill. However, smoking rooms will remain at enterprises. No one is going to ban them,” Gerasimenko said.
Gerasimenko commented on another recently-proposed amendment to the future anti-tobacco bill. It concerns banning smoking in films. “The law that has been in force since 2000 already bans smoking scenes in all newly produced films. The draft law which is currently under discussion repeats this ban word to word. So, there’s not much need for an amendment. This provision is already in the bill,” Gerasimenko emphasized.
Russian deputies adopted a government bill on protection of the population’s health from the effects of tobacco smoke and consequences of tobacco consumption on December 14. The document sparked off a controversy and became notoriously famous as an ‘anti-tobacco’ bill.