Proposal to Ban Tobacco Sales for Russian Citizens Born after 2009

According to a report from TASS on September 30th, members of the "New People" faction in the Russian State Duma, led by Aleksei Nechaev, have drafted and submitted a bill regarding the ban on the sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. The proposed legislation would apply to all Russian citizens born after December 31, 2009.

The proposal, put forth by Aleksei Nechaev, Vladislav Davankov, and Ksenia Goryacheva, has been submitted to the government for review. According to the proposal, amendments will be made to the current "Health Protection Law" to restrict tobacco consumption among specific age groups.

Explanations in the document indicate that if this bill is passed, it will help to achieve the country's control policies regarding tobacco consumption by gradually reducing the circulation of nicotine-containing products in the market. The ultimate goal is to completely eliminate tobacco-related diseases and mortality, thereby improving the health status of the younger generation.

It is reported that the drafters of the bill also pointed out that implementing the bill will result in a decrease in federal budget revenue from tobacco product consumption taxes annually. It is estimated that in the first year of the bill's implementation, 400,000 smokers will be affected, representing only 1% of Russia's current approximately 28 million smokers. Therefore, it is expected that between 2029 and 2031, the impact of tobacco consumption tax revenue on the federal budget will be minimal, around 7 billion rubles (approximately $75 million).

The author of the bill also mentioned that according to estimates from the Russian Ministry of Health, the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases amounts to 1 trillion rubles annually, with indirect economic losses exceeding 5 trillion rubles. Therefore, the implementation of the bill will not increase the budget deficit, but may actually reduce long-term medical and economic expenditures.