Friday, February 21, 2014

SL passes law on graphical tobacco warnings


Sri Lanka's parliament yesterday (Feb. 19) passed a law on pictorial health warnings on tobacco packs.

The state information office said parliament unanimously passed the law requiring pictorial health warnings to cover 80 percent of cigarette packs.

The Gazette Notification containing provisions in respect of pictorial warnings has been prepared by Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena

Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva presented the Gazette Notification to Parliament on behalf of the Health Minister on Jan. 24.

The Gazette Notification containing provisions in respect of pictorial warnings has been prepared by the Health Minister.

According to the regulation, the pictorial health warning shall be printed on both sides of every Cigarette packet, package or carton containing cigarettes and shall cover at least 80 percent of the total area of a packet, package or a carton.

Misleading messages on the impact caused to the health as a result of the smoke should not be included.

It is also mentioned in the Gazette Notification that cigarette packets could not be produced, imported or sold without the pictorial warnings.

Further, the quantity of nicotine containing in the product should be clearly mentioned and it is prohibited to cover these warnings with other photographs.

According to the Gazette Notification the warnings should be changed every six months.
Similar laws are in effect in several other countries.

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