Smoking can cause impotency

The Russian government has finally caught up with health policies in Europe and America and is now going to introduce shocking and prominent health warnings on all cigarette packets sold in the country. It's about time that the Russian health department woke up to the fact that cigarette smoking is costing them billions of rubles in health care costs and lost productivity.

The new regulations say that all manufacturers of cigarettes must devote at least 30 percent of the front of all cigarette packets with one of a range of twelve different warning. The health warnings also have to cover a minimum of 50 percent of the back of the cigarette packets.

According to government figures it is estimated that over 350,000 Russian people die from smoking related illnesses every year and since the fall of the Soviet Union the number of smokers has actually increased especially among young women.

A shocking 65 percent of Russian men smoke and it is seen as a sign of being a strong man.  Thirty percent of women smoke in Russia and this figure is increasing as the country gets richer and advertising campaigns glamourise smoking lifestyles.

The Russian government still has a long way to go if they are serious about stopping young people taking up smoking. Firstly they need to clamp down on cigarette advertising, secondly they need to drastically increase the amount of tax on cigarettes, [a packet of twenty costs around £1 at the moment], and thirdly they need to introduce a ban on smoking in public areas.

These three initiatives have shown to produce good results in all European countries and not only do they encourage people to quit smoking but they also made it much more difficult for people to start. A lot of smoking habits begin casually as just the odd cigarettes here and there, and end up becoming a full blown addiction.

At Ukmedix News we reckon that the most effective of all of the warnings that will be placed on cigarette packets will be the one which says 'Smoking can cause impotency'. This will appeal to the masculine psyche of the average Russian man much more than 'Smoking can cause heart problems.'