This consideration comes after Mazhilis (the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament) deputies proposed a complete ban on hookahs in January 2024, along with setting penalties for violations of this potential law.
The move is prompted by the ineffective enforcement of existing regulations that restrict hookah tobacco consumption in public spaces due to relatively low fines and a moratorium on inspections of small and medium-sized enterprises, as reported by Tengrinews.kz. The fines for individuals caught violating these regulations are considered insufficiently stringent by the Ministry of Health.
Currently, fines for smoking hookah in unauthorized areas in Kazakhstan range from 15 to 50 MCI (monthly calculation index), equivalent to 55,380 to 184,600 tenge in 2024.
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with other governmental bodies, is actively working to bolster the regulation of hookah tobacco and mixtures. If the proposed amendments are adopted, police officers will conduct inspections at establishments where hookahs are sold and used.
Calls to ban hookahs and vapes gained traction in Kazakhstan in the autumn of 2023. However, experts argue that fines and prohibitions alone may not be effective solutions to the issue.
