THE FIGHT AGAINST SMOKING IN RUSSIA IN THE XXI CENTURY: ACHIEVEMENTS AND NEW CHALLENGES

The article reflects the stages of the fight against smoking in Russia from the beginning of the noughties of this century to the present, the results of studies on the prevalence of tobacco use and other nicotine-containing products, as well as the attitude of the population to the anti-smoking measures taken. The data of five monitoring sessions are analyzed. In retrospect, studies of the attitude of Russians to the regulation of tobacco consumption and to measures to protect the health of citizens from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke are considered he analysis of population surveys, in particular, showed: 1) that lawmaking lags behind public requests; 2) that the majority of Russians turned out to be more radical than legislators in banning the sale of tobacco products to persons under the age of 21, to persons born after 2014, when they reach adulthood (these initiatives have not been translated into laws). Research data show that the motivation of smoking and the reaction of smoking Russians from various socio-demographic groups to anti-smoking measures has features. It is important to take this into account in strategies to counter tobacco consumption. The emergence of alternative nicotine-containing products has become a challenge to the fight against tobacco smoking. Russians are not sufficiently aware of the legislative norms governing its use. At the same time, improving public awareness on this issue is a prerequisite for compliance with the law. Methodological support is required for the prevention of the use of new types of nicotine-containing products among the population, especially among young people.