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Russia: Lower House Passes Public Smoking Ban Russia: Lower House Passes Public Smoking Ban
(about 3 hours later)
The lower house of Parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill on Tuesday that would ban smoking in public places, a contentious measure in a country with one of the highest smoking rates in the world. The ban has the backing of government leaders, who point to the hundreds of thousands of Russians who die of smoking-related illnesses every year. The bill was passed Tuesday by a vote of 441 to 1. It must be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir V. Putin before becoming law. The ban on smoking in cafes, restaurants, universities and other public places would go into effect on June 1. The lower house of Parliament passed a bill on Tuesday that would ban smoking in public places, a contentious measure in a country with one of the world’s highest smoking rates. The ban is backed by government leaders, who point to the hundreds of thousands of smoking-related deaths a year. The bill must be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir V. Putin. The ban would take effect on June 1.