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MOSCOW — The price of the cheapest vodka on the Russian market more than doubled Friday as the government set a minimum price in an effort to fight rampant alcoholism.
Drinking causes an extraordinary number of deaths in Russia, and it contributes to an array of economic and social problems.
The minimum price of 89 rubles, or $3, for a half liter of vodka went into effect at the start of the 12-day New Year’s and Orthodox Christmas holiday, when alcohol consumption is at its highest.
