DUSHANBE, June 4, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan is tightening tobacco control regulations and new requirements of technical regulations will take effect beginning on July 1.

The source at Tojikstandart (Tajik agency for standardization, metrology, certification and trade inspection) says cigarette packs will contain four additional awesome inscriptions on the dangers of smoking.

According to him, under the new technical regulations, the front side of cigarette packs will contain the main cautionary warning – “Smoking is injurious to your health.”  The back side will contain four of the following health warnings: “Smoking causes heart attacks and strokes,” “Smoking during pregnancy harms your baby,” “Smoking is highly addictive, do not start smoking,” “Protect children against tobacco smoke,” “Smoking kills,” “Smoking causes emphysema,” “Smoking can cause a sow and painful death,” Smoking cause vessel diseases,” and “Smoking can cause parodontosis and dedentition.”

In Tajikistan, the tobacco-controlled legislation – The Law on Limited Use of Tobacco – came into effect on January 1, 2011.  Under this law, sale of tobacco and smoking in schools, hospitals, organizations and enterprises irrespective of forms of their property, airports, train stations, recreation areas, sports and culture facilities and in public transport is banned.  Additionally, sale of tobacco closer than 100 meters to kindergartens, schools, hospitals and other educational and healthcare institutions is banned.  The law also bans sale of tobacco to and by teenagers.

In late July 2010, President Emomali Rahmon suggested to limit sale and use tobacco goods in all governmental and non-governmental institutions.  Smokers now have to use special places.

Those who break the law will have to pay a fine from 5 to 15 indexes (where one index makes 35 somoni) for natural persons and from 3 to 300 indexes for legal entities.