Russia tries to kick habit with anti-smoking law


Men tap ash from their cigarettes while smoking on the balcony of an office building in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk January 24, 2013. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Tobacco restrictions came into force in Russia on Saturday which President Vladimir Putin hopes will create a healthier workforce and help reverse a population decline, but they face stiff opposition in a country where four in ten people smoke.

The measures, part of a law Putin signed in February, include a ban on smoking at schools and universities, museums, sports facilities, hospitals and on public transport - in many cases places where it is already prohibited.

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