According to KZ.Kursiv, on June 27, the Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan, Maulen Ashimbayev, requested the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the government, and local governments to conduct surprise inspections on entertainment venues that violate the ban on water pipes and e-cigarettes.
He stated in parliament that many customers of cafes, bars, and restaurants are flagrantly violating these bans without any restraint, and this behavior is "undermining the rule of law".
Ashimbaev pointed out during the plenary session of the Senate that...
As is well known, in many places, customers can freely smoke hookah. E-cigarettes are also prohibited by law, but in reality they are easily available and many people are using and selling these products. Therefore, whether the government is effectively enforcing the relevant laws is a major issue.
He also mentioned that the Department of Health proposed banning the sale of energy drinks to young people under 21, but he is concerned that this ban could also face similar enforcement challenges.
Akhimbayev emphasized that the failure to enforce the law is "undermining" the structure of the rule of law, therefore he called for surprise inspections of places violating current bans.
Government representatives are present... please conduct inspections with local enforcement agencies. Senior officials from the Ministry of Interior are also here. Inspections are being carried out in cafes and restaurants in Astana during evening hours. There is also a lot of evidence and photos on social media, so there is no need to personally visit to see these issues.
In mid-March, Gulnar Sarsenbaeva, a representative of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health, pointed out that many restaurant and bar owners have been widely ignoring the current smoking ban. As a result, the country plans to increase penalties for smoking hookah in restaurants and bars. The Ministry of Health not only intends to raise fines for consumers but also introduce new penalties for establishments in violation of the ban.
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