TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan's national air carrier is telling passengers to limit the amount of "nos," or powdered tobacco, they take with them aboard flights, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.
Use of nos is common throughout Central Asia, is widely available at bazaars, and often carried in small ornate containers. The tobacco is placed under the tongue and produces an effect similar to smoking cigarettes but at a far lower cost.
The Uzbekiston Hawa Yollari air company announced on August 24 that passengers can take no more than 250 grams with them on board.
Migrant laborers are complaining the amount is far too small to last as they take up work in places such as Russia where nos is difficult to find.
Uzbek authorities said the limit has been introduced at the request of Russia where officially nos is considered a mild narcotic.
Governments in Central Asia have discussed banning sale or use of nos many times since independence in 1991 but always stopped short of actually making it illegal.
Read more in Uzbek here
Read more in Uzbek here