Uzbekistan bans vaping products

According to the Uzbekistan Ministry of Justice, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a law completely banning the production, storage, sale, distribution, transport, and use of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids throughout the country.[1]. Law O'RQ-1098, adopted by the lower house of Parliament in January, approved by the Senate in April, came into force on November 27, 2025. It amends the national law relating to the regulation of alcohol and tobacco in order to explicitly include electronic cigarettes and their refills.

Strengthening the legal and health framework against vaping

The new legal framework now classifies the manufacture, sale, transport and illegal possession of vaping products as a criminal offence.

The penalties include fines of up to 123.6 million to 206 million soms, equivalent to 8,963 to 14,938 euros, community service of two to three years, and, in the event of repeat offenses or large-scale offences, prison sentences or restrictions on liberty of three to five years.

The Ministry of Justice clarifies, however, that individuals who voluntarily report themselves to the authorities and hand over prohibited products may be exempt from prosecution.

According to the authorities, this measure aims to strengthen tobacco control policies and counter the development of new nicotine products in the country. The objective is also to reduce the illegal market for vaping products, limit young people's exposure to nicotine, and protect public health.

However, the influence of the tobacco industry remains massive.

Uzbekistan thus joins other Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, who have also decided to ban electronic cigarettes. In the former Soviet sphere of influence, Russia also recently announced its intention to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes on its territory..

However, the tobacco industry's influence remains significant both within the country and more broadly in the region: the Turkmen government noted that cigarettes were being imported from Uzbekistan, and the WHO explained in its 2025 report on the tobacco epidemic that the country is encountering resistance from the industry.[2]. In 2024, the smoking prevalence rate reached 19.4% among Uzbek men aged 15 and over, for a total of 2.5 million smokers in the country.[3].

Furthermore, the South Korean tobacco company KT&G recently announced, as part of its international expansion strategy, its intention to target new markets in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Uzbekistan. This expansion is facilitated by the fact that these countries welcome the establishment of tobacco factories as a means of economic development.

The tobacco industry is thus well established in the Caucasus and Central Asian states, a region that currently offers an environment particularly favorable to the development of this industry. In addition to this, there is a centralized institutional governance, sometimes marked by clientelistic practices that facilitate the industrial entrenchment of powerful economic players.

This results in the absence of a protective legislative framework for tobacco control, particularly with regard to taxation, advertising, neutral packaging or product regulation.

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[1]Kamola Shuhratova, Electronic cigarettes completely banned in Uzbekistan, Zamin.uz, published on November 28, 2025, accessed the same day

[2]Tobacco-free generation, WHO releases its 2025 report on the global tobacco epidemic, Published on June 28, 2025, accessed on November 28, 2025

[3]WHO, WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030, Published on October 6, 2025, accessed on November 28, 2025

National Committee Against Smoking |