Cabinet approves revising bill to cover 80% of cigarette packs with pictorial warnings
Friday, 30 January 2015 00:38
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Cabinet of Ministers Wednesday approved a proposal made by the Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine Dr. Rajitha Senaratne revise the legislation to require manufacturers to cover cigarette packs with pictorial warnings .
The Cabinet granted approval to revise clause No. 34 of the National Authority Bill on Tobacco and Spirits to include information on the danger of health hazards that could be caused by the use of tobacco products in the packs containing the tobacco products and to make it compulsory to display pictorially this danger on 80% of the surface area of such tobacco product packs.
The health warnings issued by the Authority that has been established for this purpose should be changed once in every 6 months.
The Cabinet approved to consider this proposal as an Emergency Bill under clause 122 of the Constitution and present it to the Parliament.
In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers also approved increasing the current penalty of Rs. 2,000 and one year’s imprisonment applicable in the event of not taking action to enlighten the consumers in accordance with the Bill to a penalty of Rs. 50,000 and one year’s imprisonment.
