According to a report from Russian publication BIZNESS Online on December 26th, Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the Republic of Tatarstan (Татарстана), has signed a law prohibiting adolescents from entering smoking areas, which includes both traditional cigarettes and hookahs.
The legislative revision was first proposed by the Republic’s Attorney General, Albert Suyargulov, and aims to “prevent any harm to the physical, mental, intellectual, spiritual, and moral development of children.” This law has received unanimous approval in both the first and third rounds of voting in the Republic’s legislative council.
Furthermore, the new regulations also prohibit children and adolescents from entering sex shops, bars, liquor establishments, as well as venues where hookahs are used, at any time.
Svetlana Zakharova, Chairperson of the Social Policy Committee of the Legislative Assembly, emphasized that the implementation of this ban must ensure that it does not impede the access of family members to necessary facilities. Albert Suyargulov, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Tatarstan, also stated that when children witness adults smoking tobacco products, they may imitate or even adopt this “harmful pattern of tobacco consumption,” which can have a “negative impact” on their health and physical development, much like inhaling second-hand smoke in these locations.
