Tajikistan's Upper House Approves Full Ban on E-Cigarette Production, Sales and Trade

Tajikistan's upper parliament on Monday approved an amendment to the national tobacco law that would ban the production, import, export and sale of e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems.

The Majlisi Milli, the upper chamber of the parliament, reviewed and passed the amendment to the Law on Restricting the Use of Tobacco Products on Oct. 17, according to the chamber's press office, as reported by the state news agency NIA Khovar. Once the amendment takes effect following signature by the president, Tajikistan would prohibit the production, import, export, wholesale and retail of nicotine electronic delivery systems, including electronic vapor products, the agency said.

Majlisi Milli chairman Rustami Emomali said the revision aims to protect the national gene pool, the health of the population and the health of future generations, and to cultivate a healthy younger generation. He described safeguarding public health as one of the priorities for the state and society and said the country needs to create an environment in which young people grow up healthy, according to the account of the legislative session.

The bill leaves open questions on enforcement. The approved text does not specify penalty provisions for violations of the ban, and it is not yet clear whether the ban extends to individuals' personal use of e-cigarettes, according to Vapesee's review of the legislation coverage.

The session, which covered 51 agenda items, also approved amendments to several codified laws, institutional bills and personnel resolutions, the chamber's press office said.

Tajikistan's 2018 tobacco control law has regulated the use of tobacco products; the new amendment would add a complete prohibition on the commercial circulation of electronic nicotine delivery systems. The measure aligns with a growing regional trend of Central Asian and CIS states tightening or banning alternative nicotine products, and puts Tajikistan among the countries moving toward full-trade prohibitions on vaping goods.