On June 5, according to a report by Zakon.kz, Alibek Kuantyrov, the Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan, responded to accusations from civil organizations that he impeded efforts to ban electronic cigarettes in Kazakhstan's parliament.
He responded by saying:
The National Ministry of Economy has once again been criticized.
He stated that in order to implement a ban, there must be an assessment of risk by regulatory agencies and any new legislation must go through this process. This responsibility should be taken on by the Ministry of Health.
He stated:
The Ministry of Health has not completed this evaluation for six months. We have repeatedly sent it back to them for revision because they did not follow the rules for conducting regulatory impact assessments.
Kuantilov believes that the e-cigarette ban must also consider the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises. After the Ministry of Health completes all the work, the Ministry of Economy can take action.
However, the Ministry of Health must assess the implementation of all procedures to avoid any violations. They must explain why a ban on electronic cigarettes is necessary, even if it could cause harm to businesses, and demonstrate that the benefits of the ban outweigh any losses.
Kuanditilov expressed his personal opinion regarding the plan to completely ban the sale of e-cigarettes in Kazakhstan.
Personally, I support the ban on electronic cigarettes, although it may not be a perfect solution.
Civil organizations believe that the Ministry of Economy holds an opposing position towards implementing a ban on electronic cigarettes. Previously, the Ministry of Health has rejected this proposal four times, using unclear and entirely baseless arguments.
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