New regulations to prohibit smoking in public places

According the amendments made to the Tobacco Control Law of Mongolia in October 2012, smoking will be banned in all public areas, including bars, restaurants, office buildings, playgrounds, parks, trains, airport and train stations, and apartment stairwells from March 01, 2013.

Schools, kindergartens and dormitories, and the surrounding areas will also have to be smoke free. In addition, the law prohibits sales of cigarettes within 500 meters from schools and dormitories. Anyone under the age of 21 years old will no be able to buy tobacco too.

The new regulation applies to common areas in hotels, too, although some hotel floors will still allow smoking.

Violators of the law will be required to pay a MNT 50,000 fine. Businesses that allow smoking will be hit with an amount equal to 25-50 times the official minimum wage, while officials receive a fine equal to 10-25 times the minimum wage.

Smoking habits in Mongolia are a growing problem, according to World Health Organization. As stated in the WHO data collected in 2009, 48 per cent of Mongolian men and seven per cent of Mongolian women smoke regularly.