Russian Smokers Are Told They Face ‘Slow and Painful Death’

June 25 (Bloomberg) -- Cigarette packs in Russia must carry larger health warnings from tomorrow as the government cracks down on smoking, a habit that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called a “real calamity” for health of the nation.

Health warnings will have to occupy at least 30 percent of a cigarette pack’s front cover and half of the back, according to the Health and Social Development Ministry’s website. Tobacco companies must choose between 12 different messages, informing smokers that their habit could lead to infertility and impotence as well as a “slow and painful death.”

Russia has the most smokers per capita and is the largest tobacco producer after China, India and the U.S., according to government data. Tobacco companies with operations in Russia include Philip Morris International Inc., the world’s largest publicly traded tobacco company, British American Tobacco Plc, Europe’s largest cigarette maker, Japan Tobacco Inc. and Imperial Tobacco Group Plc.

As many as 42 percent of Russia’s 142 million people smoke, including two-thirds of men, according to government statistics. Smoking and drinking -- described as a “real calamity” by Putin in 2008 -- are major causes of premature death among men in the country.

The new measure is “not likely” to have an impact on cigarette sales in Russia, according to Vadim Zhelnin, the head of Tabakprom, an association of producers of tobacco products. He estimates that Russians spent 400 billion rubles ($12.8 billion) on cigarettes last year.

Advertising Ban

“There is no definite international data showing that scary signs warning about health problems lead to declines in cigarette sales,” Zhelnin said today in a phone interview from Moscow.

In 2008, the nation ratified a United Nations convention aimed at curbing smoking, allowing for the gradual implementation measures such as banning tobacco advertising and smoking in public places.

Russia may raise its excise tax on cigarettes by 44 percent next year, Vedomosti reported on June 10, citing Finance Ministry proposals.

--Editors: Andrew Clapham, Kevin Costelloe