The ban on the circulation of electronic cigarettes and related liquids is enshrined in amendments to the law "On the restriction of the distribution and consumption of alcoholic and tobacco products." Strict penalties have been established for violators, including criminal prosecution for the sale of prohibited products in large volumes or repeated offenses after administrative punishment.
According to the new regulations, the minimum penalty for the import and sale of vapes will be a fine ranging from 300 to 500 basic calculation units (BCU), which is equivalent to amounts from 123.6 million sums ($10,300) to 206 million sums ($17,300).
Moreover, corrective labor for a period of 2 to 3 years and restrictions on freedom for a period of 3 to 5 years are provided. The maximum penalty includes imprisonment for a term of 3 to 5 years.
However, if a person who has committed such actions voluntarily contacts law enforcement agencies to confess and hands over the prohibited products, they may be exempted from liability.
At the end of April this year, this law was approved by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (upper house of parliament) of Uzbekistan. The decision to impose a ban was made in connection with the increasing cases of illegal import and sale of such goods, which, as senators emphasized, are mainly consumed by children and youth, negatively affecting their health.
Uzbekistan is not the first country in Central Asia to impose a ban on electronic cigarettes; similar measures have already been adopted in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
