Kyrgyzstan's Parliament has approved a bill, in its second reading, that bans the import, sale, and use of e-cigarettes within the country. This legislation, passed by the Social Policy Committee on June 24, aims to address growing health concerns associated with e-cigarette usage.
The bill includes various fines for violations related to e-cigarettes:
- Personal use: The fine for individuals caught smoking e-cigarettes was reduced to KGS 10,000 ($115) from the initially proposed KGS 40,000 ($461).
- Corporate violations: The fine for corporations allowing e-cigarette smoking remains at KGS 60,000 ($692).
- Selling e-cigarettes: Individuals selling e-cigarettes will be fined KGS 50,000 ($576.74), while legal entities will face a fine of KGS 65,000 ($749).
- Importing e-cigarettes: Importing e-cigarettes will incur a fine ranging from KGS 150,000 to 200,000 ($1,730 to $2,307). Additionally, individuals involved in importation may face imprisonment for one to two years.
During the committee discussions, lawmakers emphasized the need to strike a balance between deterrence and fairness. This led to the reduction of fines for personal use, acknowledging that the originally proposed fines were deemed excessively high.
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