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Tobacco advertisements could be banned in Kyrgyzstan 

The Kyrgyz parliamentary committee on social policy has approved the government's proposal to fully ban tobacco advertisements in the mass media, the parliament press service told Interfax. Kyrgyz Health Minister Marat Mambetov told the committee that "a full ban on all forms of advertising in the mass media reduces the social attractiveness of smoking and reduces the consumption of tobacco products, especially among young people."

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KYRGYZSTAN'S EXCISE TAX RATES INCREASED  

Kyrgyz parliament this week announced an increase in the excise tax rate on tobacco products. . . .

According to the amendments, one pack of low quality cigarettes will be liable for 0.36 som tax.

Cigarettes of the higher quality will be liable to 1.37 som tax.

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Ban on alcohol and tobacco advertising 

Galina Kulikova, the Vice Chief of the parliamentary committee for education, science, culture and information policy intends to initiate the draft law according to which alcohol and tobacco advertising on television, radio and billboards will be banned, informs AKIpress.

She believes that it is crucial to ban alcohol and tobacco advertising. Teachers and parents are also worried about the consequences of such advertising:

Whenever one turns on television, alcohol and tobacco are advertised there.

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Cotton and tobacco sales discussed in Jala-Abad 

The Jalal-Abad Regional Administration held a meeting on September 19, with participation of the first deputy minister of Agricultural, Water Management and Reprocessing Industry Kambaraly Kasymov discussed the issues on sales of agricultural production.

Attendants of the session, including heads of regions, directors of departments, heads of village administrations, workers of customs and tax services, shared their opinions on creation of favorable conditions for sales of tobacco and cotton at real price

Acting governor of the Jala-Abad region Jusup Jeenbekov obliged local leadership and fiscal workers to take cotton and tobacco sales rendered assistance to villagers.

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RESEARCH AND PRACTICE / Prevalence of Smoking in 8 Countries of the Former Soviet Union: Results From the Living Conditions, Lifestyles and Health Study 

Conclusions. Smoking rates among men in these countries have been high for some time and remain among the highest in the world. Smoking rates among women have increased from previous years and appear to reflect transnational tobacco company activity.

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Kyrgyzstan: NGOs Tackling Growing Cigarette Use 

Jyldyz, a teenager living in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, doesn't smoke. But she says many people her age do -- and that cigarettes are getting more and more popular.

"Young people, most of them, think smoking is fashionable. But [cigarettes] don't make them more attractive. It doesn't improve their shape. It has no use at all. [Many teenage girls] are hiding to smoke -- behind trees, in lavatories, and in other places like that," Jyldyz said.

Smoking-related lung disease is the second-highest cause of death in Kyrgyzstan, after heart disease.

The problem has led a group of Kyrgyz NGOs to form "Smoke-Free Kyrgyzstan," a coalition dedicated to educating people -- particularly youth -- about the dangers of tobacco use."Young people, most of them, think smoking is fashionable. But [cigarettes] don't make them more attractive. It doesn't improve their shape. It has no use at all. [Many teenage girls] are hiding to smoke -- behind trees, in lavatories, and in other places like that."

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KYRGYZSTAN: New anti-smoking coalition takes on growing cigarette habit 

Earlier this month, ten local Kyrgyz NGOs established a new coalition dedicated to combating smoking - one of the leading causes of premature deaths in the country. The coalition hopes to stimulate a national anti-smoking drive as cigarettes continue to grow in popularity, particularly among the young, despite the proven health risks associated with the habit.

"Our main aim is to unite material, financial and human resources to stop tobacco proliferation. Today 60 percent of men and 40 percent of woman smoke. In addition, 20 percent of children aged 13-15 smoke," Chinara Bekbazarova, the chair of the coalition, told IRIN in the capital, Bishkek. Unlike in most Western nations, smoking is on the increase throughout much of Central Asia.

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KYRGYZSTAN: Health services struggle to cope with high level of respiratory diseases 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) contends that the death rate from respiratory diseases in Kyrgyzstan was the highest among the former Soviet republics, and much higher than the average European level for the past 20 years.

The main reasons for this were increasing rates of smoking, especially among adults and women, environmental pollution and a lack of awareness on the issue, Nurilya Davletalieva, a coordinator for the Kyrgyz-Finnish Lung Health Programme (KFLHP), operating in Kyrgyzstan since 2003, told IRIN, adding that the absence of any proper control of the illness was also contributing to the problem.

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Tobacco in Central Asia ($$) 

BISHKEK (TCA). Smoking a cigarette is quite commonplace today. Nowadays few smokers know that in the not-too-distant past, ..

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Kyrgyzstan ups duties on tobacco from non-WTO states 

The Kyrgyz government has resolved to increase excise duties on cigarettes imported from non-WTO states by 300 per cent from 1 June this year, the AKIpress news agency reported on 23 April. . .

The increase does not apply to cigarettes imported from Russia, the agency added.

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Kyrgyzstan to supply Russian Defence Ministry with tobacco 

The Russian Defence Ministry and Agency for State Reserves are willing to buy tobacco from Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolay Tanayev has told a government telephone hook-up conference. He said that tobacco would be supplied to a tobacco factory which produced cigarettes for the Russian army.

Nikolay Tanayev has instructed the [Kyrgyz] minister for agriculture, water resources and processing industry, Aleksandr Kostyuk, to specify jointly with governors of southern regions how many tonnes of tobacco Kyrgyzstan can guarantee.

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Kyrgyzstan Develops Profitable Trade in Aromatic Tobacco [Source: Bbc Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Economic] 

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Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan And Tajikistan Challenge U.S. Tobacco Companies 

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan claim American tobacco companies are to blame for tobacco-related illnesses among their populations and they've hired an American law firm to sue the biggest tobacco producers. RFE/RL correspondent K.P. Foley spoke to lawyers representing both sides of the issue and filed this report. . .

The lawsuits, one on behalf of Kyrgyzstan and one on behalf of Tajikistan, were filed in the state of Florida in the district court for Miami-Dade County on 24 January.

Joe Raia, whose Miami law firm is arguing each nation's case, told RFE/RL that Kyrgyz and Tajik authorities chose Florida as the venue to file their case because there is a history in Florida of favorable decisions in anti-tobacco lawsuits.

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Tobacco giants face new lawsuits 

A lawyer said the two countries believed they had been intentionally targeted by the tobacco giants because many of their people were poorly educated and unaware of the dangers of nicotine addiction. . .

But their lawyers said the two countries spent hundreds of millions of dollars treating smoking related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, emphysema and birth defects.

They also said both governments would have regulated tobacco more closely if the US companies had been honest about the risks of smoking.

"We believe the 'tobacco cartel' intentionally targeted these developing nations where most of the citizens are poor, undereducated and unaware of the dangers of nicotine addiction," attorney Sonny Holtzman added.

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Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan file US cigarette suit 

A lawyer representing both countries, Sonny Holtzman, said they believed Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had been intentionally targeted by the tobacco companies because they were developing nations where most people are poor, uneducated and unaware of the dangers of nicotine addiction

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