President Obama avoids smoking while in Moscow

Published on July 17, 2009 4:55 AM

President Barack Obama recently came back from the first official visit to Moscow, Russia, where besides other issues; he had to deal with the temptation to light up a cigarette. The Russian journalists even prepared a slogan for him, saying “we have them, so smoke them when you are here”. However, US most popular occasional smoker, who seeks to get rid of the habit, avoided lighting up, and even promoted smoke-free lifestyle in Russia, by encouraging his Russian counterpart to adopt anti-smoking measures. 

Russia is famous for being one of the “smokers’ paradise”, with its dramatically cheap cigarette and absence of any smoking bans or similar policies. Ashtrays can be found even in the elevators in luxury Moscow hotels. This week issue of the Moscow Times, a newspaper published weekly in both English and Russian languages, suggested President Obama to spend some of his time in Moscow on trying his favorite cigarettes, since nobody in America would know about it.

The Moscow Times even offered the American President the Russian variant for asking a smoke that sounds like: Mozhno odolzhiti u vas sigaretu?”

The paper invited President Obama for a smoke, saying that in Moscow he was among people who enjoy smoking and would gladly give him a cigarette, providing that a pack of Marlboros costs around $1 in Moscow stores.

However, nobody reported to see 44th American president smoking, since he said many times that he never lighted up in presence of his family, and especially, his underage daughters, who came with him in Moscow.

Moreover, during a news-conference Barack Obama admitted that he advised Dmitry Medvedev, president of the Russian Federation about what strategies should be applied in our to decrease smoking rates across Russia.  

President Obama said that in order to reach such success in the struggle with nationwide smoking like in the US; it would not be enough just to change legislations and impose restrictions, since all the legislations would not be efficient without making a change in the public attitude towards smoking, because people should understand the importance of changing their lifestyles in order to have a healthy life.

However, when it turns to American smokers, President Obama has not said a word about helping people change attitude, but resorted to authority and legal power, by signing Tobacco Control Bill- the strictest tobacco-regulating bill in the history of US. Under the bill, all flavored cigarettes, excluding menthol would be banned; all promotions and sponsoring events would be prohibited, while tobacco industry would be forced to place larger health warnings and reveal the components in their products.

Russian legislators have considered a nationwide comprehensive ban on indoor smoking in public places; however it was criticized and dropped.