Smoking could play a direct role in the development of schizophrenia and needs to be investigated, researchers say.

The team at King's College London say smokers are more likely to develop the disorder and at a younger age.

Published in the Lancet Psychiatry, their analysis of 61 separate studies suggests nicotine in cigarette smoke may be altering the brain.

Experts said it was a "pretty strong case" but needed more research.

Smoking has long been associated with psychosis, but it has often been believed that schizophrenia patients are more likely to smoke because they use cigarettes as a form of self-medication to ease the distress of hearing voices or having hallucinations.

Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.

For World No Tobacco Day 2015, we are calling on countries to work together to end the illicit trade of tobacco products.

From many angles, the illicit trade of tobacco products is a major global concern, including health, legal and economic, governance and corruption.

ITAR-TASS reports that Kemerovo Oblast deputies have passed in the first reading legislation that would ban smoking at all public transportation stops and a surrounding area of 15 meters, as well as in outdoor areas during a cultural event.

The legislators told TASS that the law was intended to protect the health of non-smokers, particularly children. “We need to protect kids and non-smokers from the dangerous consequences of smoking,” said Irina Sinitsyna, head of the region’s committee on public health and social welfare.

Smokeless tobacco products might be sold again legally on the territory of the Eurasian Customs Union, despite the fact that Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan earlier agreed to ban their sale.