The Cold War: Russia's New Drive Against Smoking

RAFY HAY TALKS TO RUSSIAN SMOKERS ABOUT A POSSIBLE NEW RESTRICTION BANNING THOSE BORN AFTER 2015 FROM EVER SMOKING.

I’ve been in Russia for the past nine months, and over that time I’ve noticed several things about the Russians. Other than their gruffness to strangers and their seemingly limitless penchant for dill, Russians love a smoke. You can hardly blame them: a 20-pack costs between 65 and 145 roubles at the corner shop (89p to £2.00).

33 percent of Russians are smokers, although this number has fallen significantly since 2010, when over 39 percent smoked. This figure has been the target of a number of recent measures by the government, as smoking in most enclosed spaces and around all number of institutions was criminalised in 2013.

The government now wants to go even further. In January of this year, in an effort to push numbers down for good, a bill was introduced to the State Duma, their parliament, which proposed banning for life the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2015. A similar move has been debated in the British parliament, but if passed this law would be the first of its kind in the world.

I took to the streets to see what young Russian smokers thought about this new bill.

Pi Media: So there’s this idea that people born after 2015 will never smoke, what do you think about that?

Mira: It’s not fair.

Matvei: Yeah, I think it’s against people’s rights.

Mira: Yes, someone over the age of 18 is absolutely capable of making the decision for themselves.

Matvei: The person mentally, physically has the right to make their own choices. And in principle it’s a kind of complete stupidity, blindness, I don’t think it’ll pass.

PM: Does it seem to you that people would start smoking less because of the ban?

Mira: No

Matvei: No, there’s the black market, obviously not.

Mira: They’d just get other people to buy for them, or buy them illegally,

Matvei: Illegally, the black market again, they’ll have banned it but it’s underground…

Mira: They won’t respect the ban. And the number of smokers is so large… 

PM: And what do you think the goal of this law is in general, why are they bringing it in?

Matvei: It seems to me it’s some psychological sickness of bureaucrats and deputies.

Mira: They’re just dying to ban everything

Matvei: People like babushkas going like “oh yeah, we should stop the kids smoking, we’ll vote for you…” Well in general they think…

Mira: Probably they’ll want demographics to benefit, since they want people to be healthier, and so on.

Matvei: Well yeah…

Pi Media: You hadn’t heard about this bill before?

Mikhail: No I hadn’t heard.

PM: And what do you think, what’s it for?

Mikhail: What do you mean what’s it for, it’s supposed to make the nation healthier. 

PM: Do you think it’ll work?

Mikhail: Well it’s quite hard to say whether it’ll be effective, it’s everyone’s own choice so to speak, but overall it’s a positive thing, it seems to me.

PM: So you’d support it?

Mikhail: … I don’t know. Concretely whether to support it or not then I’d have to think about it, but in principle, I think, maybe… yes.

PM: But you’re out smoking, you wouldn’t want anyone to ban you from smoking?

Mikhail: No look, it’s one thing if you directly want to stop people smoking and persecute people having a smoke outside, but if I can peacefully, quietly have a smoke at home, or among nature, where there’s no-one else to disturb, then why not?

Not a single law that has completely banned something has ever been realised.

PM: And what do you think about the bill?

Vladimir: Well I’ve heard about the law, but it’s a fantasy, it’s unreal.

Mikhail: So far it’s unreal…

PM: Why do you think it’s not real?

Vladimir: Because I’m a lawyer, I understand which laws are real and which aren’t.

PM: But why do all lawyers have this opinion that it’s unreal?

Vladimir: Because not a single law that has completely banned something has ever been realised.

Pi Media: Well, what do you think about this in general?

Natalia: Probably it’s the right thing to do. 

PM: What if it had been passed when you were young?

Natalia: I wouldn’t have smoked, and I would have been very happy not to have this habit.

PM: And what do you think, will people no longer smoke because of the ban?

Natalia: I think mostly people will try to bribe and will break the law more often. But the idea isn’t bad. 

PM: But if they’re going to break the law where’s the sense in introducing it?

Natalia: In Russia all laws are taken that way. Well…the idea is good but it probably won’t have an impact.

Pi Media: What do you think about this new bill?

Yelizaveta: I think it violates freedom of choice.

Makar: It violates basic human rights, it should be a personal choice.

Yelizaveta: Trying to reduce smoking is alright but to ban it completely’s not right. 

PM: And do you think they’ll manage it, can they do this?

Yelizaveta: They won’t manage it, I don’t think they will.

Makar: I don’t think so.

Yelizaveta: It’s like prohibition on alcohol, the dry laws didn’t get passed and won’t get passed.

Makar: It didn’t work and it’ll never work anywhere. Really all it’ll do is produce a huge black market. Nothing good will come of it.

PM: And Russians in general, do you think they’re for or against smoking, do they feel negatively towards it?

Makar: No, I don’t think that the majority of the population feels negatively towards smoking, there are too many people who smoke.

Yelizaveta: Yeah there’s a lot of smokers because the price is significantly lower than in Europe, which corresponds to the increased number of smokers. Yes for example pregnant women are against it, some kind of old babushkas, but that’s quite specific… I’m fine with smoking, in principle you’re not allowed to smoke in public spaces, in buildings, near state institutions, etc., but that doesn’t work because obviously everyone just smokes everywhere anyway.

Pi Media: So had you heard about this new bill before?

Artyom: I heard about it from you.

PM: Aha, so what do you think about it?

Artyom: Well, in fact, I’d say we need to reconsider smoking, consider smoking as a risk to health, it damages society’s health when people use it, and in general we need to consider why people start smoking. Firstly, people smoke because other people around them smoke, and secondly, people have found out that they’re allowed to smoke, have tried it, and have gained some kind of pleasure from it. Personally for me, I don’t constantly smoke, which is to say I smoke only at certain times. For example, I have four exam periods a year, and usually I buy a pack of cigarettes whenever I’m studying for exams, to relax. And thanks to that, I feel better, and I notice my efficiency is increased.

PM: So, do you think the law will work out, or is smoking an eternal thing in Russia?

Artyom: If you consider the reduction in smoking over the last few years, I think it’s possible, and since Russia is becoming more civilised and in general follows what Europe does, it can work. Also, people are moving away from cigarettes and towards other methods, so you have people vaping and using electronic cigarettes … and thanks to that it could be possible for this law to work.

Pi Media: So have you heard about this new bill?

Dmitri: Yes I’ve heard about it, and in principle I don’t have anything against it. Honestly I think cigarettes are more harmful than some kinds of light drugs, so cigarettes could be banned, although there’s a balance between what’s correct for society, and personal choices … but let’s allow light narcotics, even allow marijuana, they’re much less harmful for the health, and in principle for the environment as well.

PM: And do you think this ban will work out, can it be done in Russia?

Dmitri: Well, officially, yes of course, they’ve already brought it in [editor’s note: the bill is still yet to be signed into law], but there’ll be problems for it to have an impact. So the way people live, many are freely allowed to smoke with their parents, they allow it in full, and they can also buy cigarettes in the sorts of places where they don’t check documents, or through adults buying cigarettes for them, so people who want to smoke will smoke, in any case.

PM: Do you think smoking is an integral part of Russian culture, or can Russia exist without smoking?

Dmitri: In principle it can, so if you consider similar substances we’re more of a drinking country. It’s not just a saying, really the vast majority of people drink, and many people smoke when they drink. So if a person only smokes when he drinks, it wouldn’t be such a big loss, but if they want to, people will still find a way to smoke.

It seems the bill is considerably polarising, although the number of people who supported the idea of a ban is surprising. This acquiescence could be a result of Russians’ acclimatisation to sweeping reforms in the decades since 1991, or a relic of a national character forged under autocracy and Communism. It was certainly refreshing to see such a balance and nuance of opinion, and hopefully this is indicative of a lively debate to come as the bill makes its way towards law.

Special thanks to Ksenia Antoshko, who helped interview several of the subjects.