The Russian health ministry has recently announced that it is considering banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2015. According to news published in The Independent, the plan would potentially make Russia the first country to take such a strong action against smoking.

Naturally, however, the possibility of enforcing such a ban on the sale of cigarettes to a generation is a matter of concern. The ban might also trigger the circulation of fake or smuggled tobacco on the market, which could pose a greater threat to health.

The Times reported Russian Prime Minister Nikolai Gerasimenko's statement on the matter: "This goal is absolutely ideologically correct," he said.

Russia was somewhat tolerant of tobacco use prior to 2013, when it began taking measures against it. Since then, the country has taken firm steps to decrease smoking.

According to Tass news agency, the number of Russian smokers decreased by 10 percent in 2016. Currently, 31 percent of the population are smokers, which is still the lowest rate in years.