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Goodbye, Belomor!

The memorable packs of "Belomor", which many of us used to learn the basics of geography, are becoming history. And along with them - other cheap cigarettes without filters with now legendary names like "Vatra" and "Prima". All because factories producing "traditional" cigarettes are closing one after another in Russia. The latest loss is the bankruptcy of the Kansk tobacco factory in Siberia, one of the last producers of "Prima" and "Belomor" in the country. Rastafarians and those simply feeling nostalgic should prepare for a shortage of cheap cigarettes.

Ten years ago, hundreds of factories across the country produced cheap cigarettes. Now there are no more than a dozen left. This business has become too unprofitable. Legislative restrictions are putting pressure on tobacco producers. For example, the new technical regulations adopted by the State Duma in the first reading stipulate that the amount of tar in a cigarette without a filter should not exceed 16 mg, and in two years - 14 mg.

The producers of "Belomor" - as well as all other tobacco manufacturers - buy much "stronger" products. Therefore, they are forced to "lighten" them with the help of so-called "substitutes", which is a very expensive process. Of course, "British American Tobacco" can afford it. But a small factory in Kansk cannot. Therefore, it is more profitable for it to close down than to work at a loss.

In addition, the equipment at the factories producing "people's" cigarettes is seriously worn out. And it is impossible to update it, since it is no longer produced anywhere in the world. And is it necessary, if the State Duma is going to ban the production of cheap and, accordingly, more harmful cigarettes any day now.

But the most important thing is not even this. The fact is that the demand for "people's" smoking is rapidly falling. In the mid-90s, it occupied more than half of the Russian market. Now, there are no more than 1% of cigarette consumers in Russia, and no more than 10% of unfiltered cigarettes. Moreover, every year the number of such smokers decreases by a third. It is understandable - "Belomor", "Astra" and "Prima" are mainly bought by those who are over... For them, these brands are part of their own lives. Although not always, perhaps, cheerful. I recall how the heroine of the film "Promised Heaven" proudly declared: "I smoke "Belomor". To which she was sarcastically answered that it would be better if she smoked "Memorial".

For young people, "people's" cigarettes are, at best, Soviet exotica. And manufacturers understand this very well. That's why they try to present "cheap" products as fashionable. They say that our "Dymok" is no worse than the cult Gitanes, which, as we know, were smoked by French movie stars. However, this turns out to be, to put it mildly, peculiar. For example, "Prima" was once promoted to the markets as a product for the older generation (the Pravda logo, portraits of Lenin and Stalin), and as "youth" cigarettes. The pack was designed in a romantic style - it depicted a young couple in retro style. Marketers swear that as a result, cigarette sales increased.

Another niche for cheap tobacco producers is souvenir products. Take, for example, the famous "Bogatyr" cigarettes, which are in great demand among foreigners. They say that they taste pretty bad - sour. But for "showing off" - they will do. Or another - souvenir cigarettes "Russia without drugs". In a pack, painted with green leaves, there are three empty cigarette "tubes", which the buyer can fill with the included tobacco. Or maybe with something else that is at hand.

planned
18.07.2007
what a nightmare!!!

ooooh
19.07.2007
WE DON'T CARE HOW WE SMOKED BEFORE AND WILL KEEP SMOKING, AND I'LL BUY TWO HUNDRED PACKS OF BELOMOR

nagrad
20.07.2007
why do you need a Belomor when you have a wet bubbler :)

Bura
07/22/2007
Well, regarding the closure, that's crap :/
But what can you do? Life is like that and there’s nothing you can do to change it.

CaNnABIS
22.07.2007
Through the squirrel was my favorite way of using it!!! I'll have to stock up on it, kid. And what a physicist the saleswoman will have when I buy a couple of blocks=D

Djmf
28.02.2009
This means that we need to fill a lot of Belava seas, a lot.:)

On the website Cannabis Fun Club in Russia You can find out the latest news about marijuana and hemp. In the section gardening you can learn all about growing marijuana and hemp. In the section workshop describes the methods of smoking marijuana, how to make a joint and how to make hashish. There is also a Rastafarian forum here where you can clarify any question you are interested in.