Fewer men smoking in Uzbekistan

The number of male smokers in Uzbekistan has decreased from 30 percent in 2002 to 22 percent today, according to a story by Maksim Yeniseyev for CentralAsiaOnline.com, quoting figures from the World Health Organization.

Only 3 percent of the country’s women were said to smoke, but it was not clear whether this figure was higher or lower than it was in 2002.

A Health Ministry spokesman, Furkat Sadykov, was quoted as saying that the government had contributed to the reduction in smoking among men by banning tobacco advertising and promotions, restricting tobacco sales and ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2012.

Uzbekistan established in 2011 the National Centre for Fighting Smoking, which had organized anti-smoking events and worked to help smokers kick the habit, Sadykov said.

In addition, a law aimed at restricting the distribution and consumption of alcohol and tobacco had taken effect in April 2012.

And Uzbekistan had recognized that illicit tobacco sales posed a major hurdle to eradicating smoking.