Feb 25, 2013

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeals today refused to issue a stay order sought by the major cigarette company in the country Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) to stop the government from labeling cigarette packets with graphic warnings.

Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeals today refused to issue a stay order sought by the major cigarette company in the country Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) to stop the government from labeling cigarette packets with graphic warnings.

The CTC filed the case at the Appellate Court challenging regulation made by the Minister of Health under the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Authority Act.

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

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena and the Health Ministry Secretary had been cited as the first and second respondents respectively.

Source: Colombo Page (February 22, 2013)

Feb 21, 2013

Thailand will have world’s largest warning labels on cigarette packs.

The size of the warnings, which are dominated by scary photos that show the unhealthy consequences of smoking, will be expanded to cover 85 per cent of the pack, up from the current 55 per cent, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said yesterday.

After a meeting with national tobacco control board, Pradit said the board agreed to issue a ministerial declaration to increase the size of the warnings.

There will be 10 picture warnings showing in graphic detail the consequences of smoking, including laryngeal cancer, heart failure, stroke, oral cancer, sexual dysfunction, lung cancer, emphysema and chronic bad breath.

The declaration will come into effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.

Worldwide, 63 countries have picture warnings on cigarette packs. In Australia, the warnings cover 82.5 per cent of the pack. Uruguay and Sri Lanka have 80 per cent, and Brunei and Canada 75 per cent. In Southeast Asia, only Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore have the picture warnings. Thailand became the fourth country in the world to do so, starting in 2005.

Source: The Nation – Puangchompoo Prasert (February 2, 2013)

Feb 19, 2013

The New Zealand Government has decided it will bring in legislation to put tobacco products into plain packaging.

The Government has decided it will bring in legislation to put tobacco products into plain packaging.

In April last year the Government had agreed ‘in principle’ to introduce a plain packaging regime in alignment with Australia pending the outcome of a public consultation process. The public consultation closed on 5 October 2012 and Cabinet considered a report on the consultation outcomes on Monday.

Plain packaging for tobacco will mean cigarette packs and tobacco pouches will have much larger pictorial health warnings and be stripped of the marketing imagery tobacco companies use to promote their products. The colours and design of the packs will be standardised in regulations designed to maximise the impact of the health warnings. Tobacco brand names will have to be printed in standard type fonts and sizes.

In announcing the decision to legislate for plain packaging, Associate Minister of Health Hon Tariana Turia said the consultation process generated a lot of interest and the written submissions provided useful information to inform Cabinet’s decision-making. Ultimately, Cabinet is satisfied that plain packaging is an important tool to improve the health of New Zealanders.

Around 300 substantive written submissions were received, as well as a further 20,000 plus postcards, form letters and signatures on petitions either in support or opposing plain packaging.

“I’d like to thank everyone who submitted on this important issue,” said Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia.

“While opinions were divided, with many smokers and tobacco retailers expressing opposition, overall the consultation process confirmed that plain packaging will be an effective means of reducing the appeal of smoking and removing the impression that tobacco may be less harmful than it is.

“The evidence from experimental studies, marketing experts and the tobacco industry’s own documents is overwhelming. We cannot continue to allow tobacco companies to use sophisticated packaging designs to promote their products as if they were ordinary everyday consumer goods.

“Currently the packaging does everything it can to attract consumers, and increase the perceived appeal and acceptability of smoking. The bright colours and other design elements divert people’s attention away from the health warnings which tell the truth about just how deathly dangerous smoking is.”

Mrs Turia said the move to plain packaging would make more explicit what tobacco is- a product that kills 5,000 New Zealanders each year.

“Current tobacco packaging not only helps promote smoking to young and vulnerable people, it also helps keep smokers smoking. This move to plain packaging will remove the last remaining vestige of glamour from these deadly products.

“I am delighted that New Zealand is on track to be the second country in the world to legislate for plain packaging. This is another major step on the pathway to becoming a Smoke-free nation by 2025.

“There is a risk that tobacco companies will try and mount legal challenges against any legislation, as we have seen in Australia

“In making this decision, the Government acknowledges that it will need to manage some legal risks. As we have seen in Australia, there is a possibility of legal proceedings.

“To manage this, Cabinet has decided that the Government will wait and see what happens with Australia’s legal cases, making it a possibility that if necessary, enactment of New Zealand legislation and/or regulations could be delayed pending those outcomes.

“The Ministry of Health will now begin developing the detailed policy which will include the size and content of health warnings. I intend to introduce the legislation to Parliament before the end of this year.

“Once again, I would like to acknowledge the community health workers, the NGO’s, medical practitioners and government agencies for their work on reducing the extreme harm caused by tobacco consumption and in achieving our long term goal of a Smoke-Free Aotearoa. I know that when we look back in 20 years this decision will be the right one.”

Source: Scoop Independent News (February 19, 2013)

Feb 1, 2013

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been warned that plans to outlaw company logos on cigarette packets is an “assault” on brand owners’ rights and would send “a troubling message” to Ireland’s trading partners.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has been warned that plans to outlaw company logos on cigarette packets is an “assault” on brand owners’ rights and would send “a troubling message” to Ireland’s trading partners.

“We are highly concerned about the broader impact packaging standardisation requirements would have on the international trading system and manufacturers through other major sectors of the economy,” the National Association of Manufacturers lobby group, based in Washington, warned the Irish Government.

The Emergency Committee for American Trade, the National Foreign Trade Council and the US Chamber of Commerce have also warned that the proposals to standardise cigarette packs and outlaw branding is an “assault” on manufacturers and their brands.

“We are deeply concerned that Ireland’s proposed revisions of the Tobacco Products Directive will violate its international trade and investment obligations and undermine the rules-based international trading system well beyond tobacco,” the National Association of Manufacturers warned in a letter to Mr Kenny.

Major brand owners in the US are said to be seriously concerned that if branding of cigarette packets is outlawed, this could spread to other sectors in the food and drinks industry. Most international multinationals invest massive sums in marketing and promoting their brands.

“The implementation of the plain packaging initiative would also encourage counterfeiting and other forms of illicit activity,” said the National Association of Manufacturers.

The National Foreign Trade Council, which represents 250 American global companies, said the proposal for standardised packaging of any product was “a serious infringement on intellectual property rights, regardless of the products to which they apply”.

The US Chamber of Commerce, which is the world’s largest business federation, said that while it was a strong supporter of measures to protect public health, the proposals would “diminish” the rights of brand owners.

“The result of such actions could be a reduction in confidence from other brand owners across industries and a subsequent loss of investment and jobs in the EU,” it said.

“Trademarks protect the reputation of companies and their products and prevent confusion and deception. For many of our members the brand itself, the reputation of which they built over years of providing good quality goods and services, is the most valuable asset of a company.”

The submissions were made to the Government and the EU following proposals in the current Tobacco Products Directive, which they say will violate international trade law and agreements.

Source: Liam Collins, Independent (January 27, 2013)