The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective:

The aim of the research is to monitor the promotion of chewing tobacco in Russia and identify the breaches of the Russian Federation Law or prevent possible violations. It includes the objective picture of how the Snus entered the Russian market and draws the attention of responsible authorities to the problem.

Methods:

The primary sources used in the research were Russian mass media. Some data were taken from official releases of the exclusive distributor of Snus on Russian territory ("Neska" company). The final report also includes analysis of the press reviews and advertisement (magazines, billboards, internet), opinion of general public and official authorities.

Results:

Our project is monitoring the promotion of Snus in Russia ever since it has actually started. In 2004 Nosmoking.Ru together with Russian Public Health Association has filed a suit against "Neska" company for not displaying appropriate health warnings on the official website. Now, when they do place the warning, they are trying to take the full advantage of Russian legislation which obliges them only to place standard warnings. The used warning says literally: "Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development warns: smoking is dangerous for your health", which, combined with the ad slogan: "Pleasant way to get rid of harmful habit" obviously creates the impression that Snus is a harmless NRT product. The present situation in our opinion requires immediate action in the field of society's attitude.