Russia: Ban on sale of cigarettes for those born after 2015

New Delhi : Russian government has unveiled its plan to ban sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2015, said the media.

The decision has been taken with motive to make Russia first nation in the world to completely phase out tobacco.

The ban proposal is likely to be implemented from 2033, when babies born in 2015 will turn 18-year-old.

"This goal is absolutely ideologically correct," Nikolai Gerasimenko, a member of the Russian Parliament's Health Committee told the Times on Tuesday.

Gerasimenko also claimed that there are also chances that the ban may not be implemented if conditions don’t allow.

According to Russian media, the Ministry of Health said the document has already been distributed in a variety of federal agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Development and others.

The number of smokers in Russia dropped by 10 per cent in 2016, according to Russian news agency Tass.

(with inputs from IANS)