Thailand requires anti-smoking pictures for cigarette packs

BANGKOK: -- Cigarette packs sold in Thailand will be required to carry images of diseases caused by smoking from the 25 March, Caretaker Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan has announced.

These anti-smoking messages displayed on the packets are part of the government’s campaign to convince smokers to quit and discourage others from starting.

Cigarette manufacturers who fail to comply with the law will face a 100,000 baht fine and retailers who sell cigarette packs without the images will be fine 20,000 baht, Mrs. Sudarat told TNA on Wednesday

The coloured images will take up half of the cigarette packets.

Among the six images to be displayed include pictures of cancer-infected lungs and teeth stained by cigarette tar.

Thailand is the fourth country in the world – after Canada, Brazil and Singapore -- to display these kinds of anti-smoking images on cigarette packs.

Under Thailand’s existing laws, one of ten different text health warnings are required to be printed on cigarette packs.

From the World No-Smoking Day on 31 May, tobacco advertisements will be prohibited at selling points of cigarettes, cigars and tobacco, Mrs. Sudarat said.

Anyone breaking this law will be fined 200,000 baht.

Other restrictions to be imposed from the No-smoking Day are the sale of cigarettes and tobacco within 500 metres of schools or religious places and the banning of imported flavoured tobacco.

A 24-hour call centre will be opened to receive complaints or reports of violations of the anti-smoking law.

--TNA 2005-03-10

From the World No-Smoking Day on 31 May, tobacco advertisements will be prohibited at selling points of cigarettes, cigars and tobacco, Mrs. Sudarat said.

Only at selling points?

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*yawn* another crackdown for toasty to add to his list...

uhmm... i'm just wondering then... with the probably millions of packs of "old" cigarettes still out in the market on March 24, will they be having some kind of huge discounts??

what I saw in singapore , which also has the graphic logos , is many people now carry cigarette cases or plastic boxes which slip over the packets of cigarettes.

I am sure they will be offered soon by street sellers

As if it matters. Such a waste of time. A person will quit when he or she fully understands it WILL kill him slowly and painfully. Pictures on packs are just decorations, they wont make anybody quit.

As if it matters. Such a waste of time. A person will quit when he or she fully understands it WILL kill him slowly and painfully. Pictures on packs are just decorations, they wont make anybody quit.

...but it makes everybody involved feel as though they are doing something about the problem.

uhmm... i'm just wondering then... with the probably millions of packs of "old" cigarettes still out in the market on March 24, will they be having some kind of huge discounts?? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

COOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We used to to put 'Smoking rocks' or 'Smoking skills' stickers over our 'Smoking kills' packets, then got bored with it all and just carried on pulling them out of the packets, without looking, just as we did before we got distracted!

I am waiting for the day they start putting pictures of obese people on pizza boxes, hamburger bags and La Z Boy cushions.

or pictures of engorged, cirrhotic livers alternating with necrotic, shriveled brains on beer chang labels...