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Russian smokers care little for government health warnings
In this story: April 21, 1997
Web posted at: 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT)From Correspondent Betsy Aaron
MOSCOW (CNN) -- As U.S. tobacco companies try to negotiate their way through major lawsuits at home, the international market is looking ever sunnier. This is notably true in Russia, where it sometimes seems as if every citizen smokes, and there are no age restrictions to buy tobacco -- nor are there likely to be anytime soon.
There are close to 43 million smokers in Russia, smoking a total of 26 billion cigarettes every month.
"Among our men, especially about men in productive age, we have about 70 percent smoking," said professor Yuri Komarov, director of the Public Health Research Institute.
The number of teenagers smoking is rising, especially among girls. And as is often the case with the young, Russian youth are not concerned about possible health repercussions.
"I live for today," said one girl, who says cancer is too abstract to think about. "I never think about the future."
Another argued that "everything is bad for you" and cigarettes are no worse. "Breathing the air around you is bad for you because it is so dirty. I don't think smoking does me any serious damage," she said.
Education campaign ineffective
There are general warnings about the health risks of smoking, but no warnings about smoking dangers for pregnant women.
"In our country we have a special system for educating the public, but now it is not so effective," Komarov said.
Dr. Elena Soulaberidze, a public health physician, said the message is often drowned out by cigarette ads.
"Advertising is pretty aggressive here, and teenagers are most affected by it," she said.
There are restrictions on cigarette advertising in Russia -- television and radio ads are banned. But anyone of age can buy and smoke cigarettes. And while the medical profession would like to set age limits, nobody is talking seriously about doing so.
Lucrative opportunity
Add to this the fact that college students prefer higher- quality Western cigarettes, and Russia becomes a lucrative tobacco opportunity.
U.S. tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris is already one of the largest tobacco producers in Russia, with an estimated 30 percent of the Russian market. It's planning a $300 million cigarette factory in St. Petersburg.
American cigarette companies are camera-shy when it comes to talking about their Russian business. But when Mikhail Gorbachev tried to restrict the sale of vodka, that didn't work, and nobody is trying to restrict smoking here now. The open market is probably the best news tobacco companies have had in a long time.
Related stories:
- French keep on puffing, leave health worries to others - April 18, 1997
- As smoking goes passe in U.S., Third World lights up - April 16, 1997
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