Kazakhstan Senate Speaker Urges Stricter Regulation: Surprise Inspections Of Entertainment Venues Violating E-cigarette Ban

Kazakhstan Senate Speaker urges stricter regulation: surprise inspections of entertainment venues violating e-cigarette ban

Kazakh Senate Speaker Maurin Ashimbayev asked the government and local authorities to conduct surprise inspections on entertainment venues that violate the ban on the use of e-cigarettes and hookahs to strengthen the implementation of relevant bans.

According to KZ.Kursiv on June 27, Kazakh Senate Speaker Maurin Ashimbayev asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the government and local governments to conduct surprise inspections on entertainment venues that violate the ban on hookahs and e-cigarettes.

He said in parliament that many customers in cafes, bars and restaurants are violating these bans without restraint, and this behavior is "shaking the rule of law structure."

Ashimbayev pointed out at the plenary session of the Senate,

"It is well known that in many places, customers can smoke hookahs freely. E-cigarettes are also prohibited by law, but in fact they are easy to find, and many people are using and selling these products. Therefore, whether the government effectively controls the implementation of relevant laws is a big question."

He also mentioned that the Ministry of Health proposed to ban the sale of energy drinks to young people under the age of 21, but he was worried that this ban would also encounter the same implementation difficulties.

Ashimbayev stressed that the failure to enforce the law is "shaking" the fabric of the rule of law, and therefore he called for surprise inspections of places that violate the current ban.

"Representatives of the government are present... Check with local executive bodies. The leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is also here. Carry out inspections in Astana's cafes, restaurants in the evening hours. There is also a lot of evidence and photos on social media, and you can see these problems without having to visit them in person."

In mid-March, Gulnar Sarsenbaeva, a representative of the Kazakh Ministry of Health, pointed out that the country plans to increase penalties for smoking hookahs in restaurants and bars, as many owners of restaurants and bars generally ignore the current ban on hookahs. The Ministry of Health not only intends to increase fines for consumers, but also introduce new penalties for related venues.