MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree on endorsing an anti-tobacco concept, which is aimed at reducing the number of smokers among Russian adults to 21% by 2035.

Russia’s Health Ministry jointly with respective federal bodies of executive power will draw up a plan in the coming six months on implementing this concept and submit it to the government.

As of December 31, 2018, the number of smokers among Russian adults stood at 29%. By 2025, this figure is expected to be reduced to 26% and by 2030 to 23.5%. Retail sales of cigarette packs, which reached 1,600 by late 2018, are also expected to decline. By 2035, this number should reach 1,000 in Russia.

The previous version of the anti-tobacco concept says that the number of smokers among children should be cut from 15.1% in late 2018 to 10% by 2035.

According to the document, Russia’s Health Ministry seeks to significantly reduce the number of diseases and deaths caused by smoking and also prevent the proliferation of tobacco products among citizens. Each year, tax on tobacco products will be raised along with excise duties, while their content should be regulated.

There are also plans to encourage smokers to quit through new warnings on cigarette packs, which should meet the World Health Organization’s recommendations. "In order to attain the concept’s goals, a system managing its implementation will be formed, which implies the creation of a mechanism for monitoring, evaluating and minimizing risks," the document says.

The ministry also seeks to prevent the increase in the number of smokers by raising awareness about the harm that tobacco and smoke cause to health. Special corporate programs on improving health at workplace are expected to be introduced.

Every year, up to 30,000 people in Russia die of smoking-related diseases, according to the Health Ministry. The WHO warns that tobacco is one of major threats for human health that kills nearly 7 mln people every year around the world, including 890,000 non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

The concept says that economic advantages of reducing tobacco use and the number of deaths and diseases caused by cigarettes "surpass any potential tax or other revenues from selling tobacco products."

Russia’s Health Ministry is developing programs on promoting a healthy lifestyle among Russians under a federal project "Improving Public Health," which is part of the Demography national project. Encouraging Russians to have a healthy lifestyle and give up bad habits will reduce the number of diseases and deaths, including among the working age population.