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Tag: regulate

  • Kazakhstan to Regulate Hookah Bars, as Ban Proved Ineffective

    Kazakhstan to Regulate Hookah Bars, as Ban Proved Ineffective

    Kazakhstan is moving toward the formal legalization and regulation of hookah businesses after more than a decade of largely unenforced bans. Despite prohibitions on smoking in public places and hookah use in catering establishments since 2013, hookahs remain widely available in cafes and restaurants, with authorities acknowledging that enforcement has been ineffective. An early draft of amendments to the Public Health Code notes that the country now has roughly 22,000 hookah establishments, four times the number before the ban, highlighting the gap between law and practice.

    The proposed legislation would create a licensed legal category for hookah establishments, with operators required to pay a fee of about $1,700. While legalization aims to regulate the industry rather than allow unrestricted use, smoking would still be prohibited in malls, theaters, cinemas, and sports facilities. Restaurants and cafes serving hookah would need to meet ventilation standards and maintain designated smoking areas, signaling a shift toward controlled oversight rather than outright prohibition.

  • South Korea Moving Toward Regulating Vapes Like Cigarettes

    South Korea Moving Toward Regulating Vapes Like Cigarettes

    South Korea is moving to classify synthetic nicotine as tobacco under the Tobacco Business Act, subjecting e-cigarettes to the same regulations and taxes as traditional cigarettes for the first time. A subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee approved the revision on Monday, expanding the definition of tobacco from “tobacco leaf” to “tobacco or nicotine.”

    If passed in the main session, the measure would generate an estimated 930 billion won ($646 million) annually in new tax revenue, lawmakers said. Synthetic nicotine has until now been treated as an industrial good, free from tobacco levies and restrictions. The bill, which includes a two-year grace period on retail restrictions, marks the first change to the act’s tobacco definition since its enactment in 1988.

  • India Hosts First Workshop on Tobacco Ingredient Transparency

    India Hosts First Workshop on Tobacco Ingredient Transparency

    In an effort to curb tobacco-related harm in India, two national health groups held a workshop yesterday (September 16) in New Delhi focusing on the regulation of what goes into tobacco products. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), in collaboration with PGI’s Scientific Support Group, hosted the event, titled “Advancing the Implementation of WHO-FCTC Articles 9 and 10.” According to The Times of India, this marks the country’s first dedicated effort to regulate the contents and emissions of tobacco products and to mandate manufacturer disclosures.