New Cigarette Warnings May Be Postponed 4 Months

[george]

HEALTH / CIGARETTE PACKS

New warnings may be postponed 4 months

BANGKOK: -- Enforcement of a law requiring graphic health warnings and pictures on cigarette packs, due to come into effect tomorrow, could be postponed for several months.

Disease Control Department deputy director Narong Sahamethapat said yesterday the anti-smoking committee was considering whether tobacco manufacturers should be allowed to sell out stock produced before the law was introduced.

A recommendation would be handed to Public Health Minster Suchai Charoenrattanakul today.

On his first day at office as the new minister, Mr Suchai earlier indicated he might consider ''the political principle'' when making the final decision. Enforcement might be delayed until July 25.

However, a Health Ministry source said manufacturers' inventories were really not very large.

The possible postponement has angered members of the anti-tobacco lobby, who were anticipating a drop in cigarette sales.

In compliance with the global pact on tobacco control engineered by the World Health Organisation, the new regulation requires bigger, scarier health warnings, including graphic pictures, on cigarette packs, along with information on the ingredients and how to quit smoking.

Six colour pictures have been chosen for use on the packs _ a patient suffering from bronchitis in hospital, a woman with a wrinkled face, a father holding a baby while smoking, the body of a lung-cancer patient, the yellowed teeth of a long-time smoker, and a picture of a smoker accompanied by two skull icons.

Ten hard-hitting warning messages in Thai will be introduced to match the pictures, including ''Smoking can kill people,'' ''Cigarette smoke causes cancer,'' ''Tobacco smoke hurts babies'' and ''Cigarettes cause mouth disease''.

The president of the Thailand Health Promotion Institute, Hathai Chitanondh, said the regulation was very clear and the industry had ample warning. Any extension of the deadline to favour tobacco firms would be against the law and detrimental to people's health.

''Law must be respected and the ministry must stand by the people for the sake of their health, not for the tobacco firms and their benefits,'' he said.

The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly estimates new anti-smoking measures will cause about a 15% drop in sales, managing director Suchon Watanapongvanich said.

The ministry also proposes increasing excise taxes on cigarettes to 80% from 75%, which would lift the retail price of cigarettes by at least nine baht per pack.

--Bangkok Post 2005-03-24

[thaibebop]

Very good news! People should know everything about smoking before they have a chance to start. I am happy to see the Thais taking such measures, far and beyond what Americans demand of the cig co.

[mr_lob]

Well i bought a pack yesterday with a pic of a hospitalised bloke on the front...hit home a bit actually...

[sriracha john]

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}>

quote=george,2005-03-25 00:40:51

New warnings may be postponed 4 months

deputy director Narong Sahamethapat said yesterday the anti-smoking committee was considering whether tobacco manufacturers should be allowed to sell out stock produced before the law was introduced.

I have to apologize to smokers in Thailand. I just wasn't thinking...

I wasn't aware that my above post on thaivisa 15 days ago would be a tip-off to the manufacturers to the potential for big savings on their cigarettes. I ruined it for the consumers.

I truly apologize. I'm sorry..

Edited March 25, 2005 by sriracha john

[Jai Dee]

Six colour pictures have been chosen for use on the packs _ a patient suffering from bronchitis in hospital, a woman with a wrinkled face, a father holding a baby while smoking, the body of a lung-cancer patient, the yellowed teeth of a long-time smoker, and a picture of a smoker accompanied by two skull icons.

I bought two packets of Marloboro Lights on the way to work this morning...

One didn't have the new pictures, but the other pack has the colour picture of a man's torso cut open through the ribs, showing a blackened cancerous set of lungs underneath.

I think it's time to give some serious thought to quitting...