The State Duma has set the maximum fine for smoking in public places at 3,000 rubles, a news report said Wednesday.
Corresponding amendments may be made to the Code of Administrative Offenses within the next few months, with the deadline for their adoption slated for August, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported. The anti-smoking law takes effect next year.
The fine will be imposed not only on the smoker but also on the owner of the establishment where the smoking violation occurs.
The fine will range from 1,500 to 3,000 rubles, depending on the severity of the violation.
"Understandably, smoking a cigarette outside of the smoking area in a restaurant is one thing, while, say, smoking in the hallway of a kindergarten, clinic or at a gas station is entirely different," said Sergei Zheleznyak, a United Russia deputy and head of the Duma's Committee on Health Protection.
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