(corrects number in second paragraph)
MOSCOW, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Russia is considering a bill toraise the legal smoking age to 21 from 18 as part of an ongoingdrive to improve public health in a nation of heavy smokers.
Senator Anton Belyakov said on Monday he had submitted abill to ban people younger than 21 using or buying tobaccoproducts.
Russia has already moved to tighten its regulation of thetobacco industry, hiking taxes and introducing restrictions onadvertising and smoking in public places in an effort to promotea healthier lifestyle.
"Russia is ranked fourth in the world by the number ofsmokers ... Since 2009, the number of smokers in the country hasonly decreased by 3 percent while in Europe anti-tobaccomeasures have led to ... a more than 20 percent decline,"Belyakov said on his Facebook page.
Russia has previously tightened tobacco market regulationwith tax increases, restrictions on advertising and a ban onsmoking in public places as part of a wider drive to promotehealthier lifestyle and improve public health.
Japan Tobacco Inc, Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco together control 90 percent of the $16 billion Russiancigarette market, based on 2014 results, Euromonitor datashowed.
Japan Tobacco said in July it would close its Moscow factoryby mid-2016 due to a "serious contraction" in Russia's tobaccomarket because of significant declines in tobacco demand. ($1 = 68.8450 roubles) (Reporting and writing by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by LidiaKelly and Tom Heneghan)
