Associations Ask Thai Government To Reconsider Cigarette Warnings

[webfact]

Associations ask government to reconsider cigarette warnings
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Both the Department of Intellectual Property and the International Trademark Association have complained to the government of Yingluck Shinawatra about a Public Health Ministry proposal to increase the size of warning labels on cigarette packs.

Once the new warnings are in place, they will take up close to 85% of the package space on each pack of cigarettes sold in Thailand. Representative of the Department of Intellectual Property and the International Trademark Association both claim that this change will violate international treaties, break Thai trademark law and violate Thai intellectual property strictures.

By essentially pushing the logo on a pack of cigarettes off of the packaging, the law runs the risks of invoking the World Trade Organization’s ire.

Full story: http://www.coconutsbangkok.com/news/associations-ask-government-to-reconsider-cigarette-warnings/


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-03-13

[rubl]

I would assume that 15% of the package surface area would be enough to print the cigaret label, manufacturing details and whatever else there needs to be on a package?

BTW the government breaking the law? Well thought through measures against the law? I mean not only International Treaties (that's with foreigners), but even Thai laws? I'm really surprise to read about the Thai IP strictures. Are those so strict?

Edited March 13, 2013 by rubl

[jamhar]

Hmm i wonder if there's a market for a sleeve to put over that picture?

or a post-it coverup? or a resurgence in a aftermarket cigarette case?

Those pics are hideous, I'd pay 10 baht to cover it up.

Sorry, just thinking out loud

[chainarong]

This intellectual property has been tried and tested, in OZ they only use plain paper wrapping on the packets.

[Zpete]

This intellectual property has been tried and tested, in OZ they only use plain paper wrapping on the packets.

Just wait for fnal court decisions in OZ, as NZ is doing.

Mind you, so many smokers in Thailand dying of smoke related disease, it is a good population control.

[OZEMADE]

Obviously it makes no difference what sort of pictures they have on the cigarette packets. A lot of huff and puff.

BANGKOK, March13 – Despite unrelenting measures to curb smoking, the number of Thai smokers has increased to 13 million, a rise by 500,000 people in four years, a senior health official said.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/625592-number-of-thai-smokers-on-upward-trend-to-13-million/

[LuckyLew]

Cigarette companies prefer the put the slogan "Smoke more ... your friends will think you are cooler"

[rubl]

This intellectual property has been tried and tested, in OZ they only use plain paper wrapping on the packets.

Just wait for fnal court decisions in OZ, as NZ is doing.

Mind you, so many smokers in Thailand dying of smoke related disease, it is a good population control.

Unfortunately also a drain on the Healthcare system

[Halion]

I have to laugh at all the leeding heart bullshit about smoking causing health care concerns. Atmospheric ,water and soil pollution from vagrant indifference to common sense is rank in this country . Highlighting smoking as a health care issue in Thailand is akin to highlighting smoking as a health care issue in the trenches in the first world war. For God sake get your priorities right.

[chooka]

Hmm i wonder if there's a market for a sleeve to put over that picture?

or a post-it coverup? or a resurgence in a aftermarket cigarette case?

Those pics are hideous, I'd pay 10 baht to cover it up.

Sorry, just thinking out loud

There actually is in Australia,

[chooka]

This intellectual property has been tried and tested, in OZ they only use plain paper wrapping on the packets.

Just wait for fnal court decisions in OZ, as NZ is doing.

Mind you, so many smokers in Thailand dying of smoke related disease, it is a good population control.

The final decision has already been handed down in the High Court of Australia and the new packaging came into effect on the 31st Dec. The government won the case against the tabbaco companies and now a few countries are following Australia's lead.

[SABloke]

Well why stop at cigarettes - Alcoholic beverages should have pictures of destroyed livers; chocolate bars - obese people and kids with rotten teeth. It seems only fair.

[Andre0720]

I have to laugh at all the leeding heart bullshit about smoking causing health care concerns. Atmospheric ,water and soil pollution from vagrant indifference to common sense is rank in this country . Highlighting smoking as a health care issue in Thailand is akin to highlighting smoking as a health care issue in the trenches in the first world war. For God sake get your priorities right.

Well, quite right.

There is atmospheric ,water and soil pollution, but much of which comes from manufactures and industries that provide products USEFUL to the people.

Latest news, cigarette smokes serves only to shorten life, makes the smokers stink, as well as other people around them.

Unless you care to explain to me why I should go and try this wonderful product.

[bonobo]

I have to laugh at all the leeding heart bullshit about smoking causing health care concerns. Atmospheric ,water and soil pollution from vagrant indifference to common sense is rank in this country . Highlighting smoking as a health care issue in Thailand is akin to highlighting smoking as a health care issue in the trenches in the first world war. For God sake get your priorities right.

Ah, I get it. Since there are other issues in Thailand, the health-related problems associated with smoking should be ignored.

So if Thailand has to get its priorities straight and leave everything else alone, which is the number one priority? You list three right in your post. Which one should be addressed so the other two can be ignored?

[Andre0720]

Representative of the Department of Intellectual Property and the International Trademark Association both claim that this change will violate international treaties, break Thai trademark law and violate Thai intellectual property strictures.

Perhaps they should start working on a law that would outlaw all poisons, not principally the quick acting ones.

Nicotine is considered a poison, but these rich and powerful companies managed to get an exemption.

Perhaps people would care to see the documentary 'The tobacco war'. Not very flattering for smokers.

http://www0.health.nsw.gov.au/resources/publichealth/pharmaceutical/pdf/poisons_list_alpha.pdf

7 NICOTINE

except:

(a) when included in Schedule 6;

( in preparations for human therapeutic use; or

© in tobacco prepared and packed for smoking.

[HeavyDrinker]

I have to laugh at all the leeding heart bullshit about smoking causing health care concerns. Atmospheric ,water and soil pollution from vagrant indifference to common sense is rank in this country . Highlighting smoking as a health care issue in Thailand is akin to highlighting smoking as a health care issue in the trenches in the first world war. For God sake get your priorities right.

A very well put post.

Bonobo and Andre, I don't think anyone is saying let's ignore health issues connected with smoking. However; the issues highlighted in the above post are truly passive health concerns which seem to take second nature to the fashionable target of smoking.

If people began to show the same amount of moral outrage they did against the above issues that they do for smoking, then we'd maybe actually getting somewhere in the fight to save our environment and the health of our fellow man/woman...

[bonobo]

I have to laugh at all the leeding heart bullshit about smoking causing health care concerns. Atmospheric ,water and soil pollution from vagrant indifference to common sense is rank in this country . Highlighting smoking as a health care issue in Thailand is akin to highlighting smoking as a health care issue in the trenches in the first world war. For God sake get your priorities right.

A very well put post.

Bonobo and Andre, I don't think anyone is saying let's ignore health issues connected with smoking. However; the issues highlighted in the above post are truly passive health concerns which seem to take second nature to the fashionable target of smoking.

If people began to show the same amount of moral outrage they did against the above issues that they do for smoking, then we'd maybe actually getting somewhere in the fight to save our environment and the health of our fellow man/woman...

Sorry, but I still think the argument is specious. Health warnings on cigarette packages are not connected to environmental concerns. To throw those concerns out as some sort of criticisms of the warning photos makes no sense at all.

If you ask me, sure, we need to do more to keep the environment clean, to shift to healthier diets, to fight corruption, to improve the education system, to solve the problems in the southern three provinces, . . . , you get the picture. There are many worthy causes that need to be addressed. But Hallon specifically put down "bleeding heart (concerns) about smoking causing health care concerns." His reasoning seemed to be that there are environmental concerns out there, so why worry about smoking?

There is no doubt that smoking causes health problems. So to laugh at people who are concerned about them because there are other problems is really inappropriate. If you think the photos don't work, smoking keeps the economy going, the photos break some sort of treaty, etc, well, I may not agree with you, but at least those are pointed arguments that address the issue.

[Andre0720]

I have to laugh at all the leeding heart bullshit about smoking causing health care concerns. Atmospheric ,water and soil pollution from vagrant indifference to common sense is rank in this country . Highlighting smoking as a health care issue in Thailand is akin to highlighting smoking as a health care issue in the trenches in the first world war. For God sake get your priorities right.

A very well put post.

Bonobo and Andre, I don't think anyone is saying let's ignore health issues connected with smoking. However; the issues highlighted in the above post are truly passive health concerns which seem to take second nature to the fashionable target of smoking.

If people began to show the same amount of moral outrage they did against the above issues that they do for smoking, then we'd maybe actually getting somewhere in the fight to save our environment and the health of our fellow man/woman...

Looking at your poster name there...hummm.

Perhaps you do not realize that society makes compromises, will accept environmental issues in exchange for the production of needed or wanted goods and products. Society accepts these negative consequences.

But more and more, society has trouble accepting a useless product that creates health issues and needless cost to society.

Tobacco smoking, the biggest avoidable cause of death as it stands now.

So I do think that society has its priorities right in respect of reducing avoidable deaths and related costs.

[HeavyDrinker]

As far as I see it, it is question of choice. Smokers know and accept the risks they take and the debate about passive smoking will rumble on and on.

When I see the anti-smoking brigade start to bang on about 'health issues', the point that there are far more passive health risks (especially here in Thailand) than smoking, which need to be addressed becomes very valid.

[bonobo]

As far as I see it, it is question of choice. Smokers know and accept the risks they take and the debate about passive smoking will rumble on and on.

When I see the anti-smoking brigade start to bang on about 'health issues', the point that there are far more passive health risks (especially here in Thailand) than smoking, which need to be addressed becomes very valid.

Other health risks that need to be addressed have absolutely no bearing on this issue

Similar Example:

Person One: "Malaria is a problem. We need to spray for mosquitos."

Person Two: "No we don't. The sun causes skin cancer."

Hallon's argument, and now yours, fits the exact same line of reasoning. The two are not connected. I fully agree that we should address environmental issues, but that has nothing to do with cigarette warnings.

[HeavyDrinker]

Other health risks that need to be addressed have absolutely no bearing on this issue

When people use 'health' as a debating point as Andre has, then it is the centre of the debate. I'm not citing environmental issues but the effect they have on the health of the population which are far more distressing than self inflicted smoking issues.

[belg]

why don't they print : this shit will kill you, seriously

[khunken]

As a smoker I don't have any problem with efforts to prevent young people from starting smoking - nor any issue with restrictions on smoking places.

What I do take issue with is scatter-brained ideas put forward by self-promoting idiots that have no impact on smoking. I haven't researched the Oz reasons, but there is no evidence here that any amount of scary photos on cigarette packets stops smoking. Have the authorities come up with any figures on smoking numbers since the photos were put there? No, they haven't.

Another thread suggest that smoking here is on an upward trend. In other words, a fail, & I'd suggest that failure to enforce the existing laws on selling to under-aged teens & also selling a few fags out of a packet (supposedly illegal) is the root cause.

[Andre0720]

Other health risks that need to be addressed have absolutely no bearing on this issue

When people use 'health' as a debating point as Andre has, then it is the centre of the debate. I'm not citing environmental issues but the effect they have on the health of the population which are far more distressing than self inflicted smoking issues.

Hello,

Anybody in there?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tobacco

Tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable death globally

The health effects of tobacco are the circumstances, mechanisms, and factors of tobacco consumption on human health. Epidemiological research has been focused primarily on cigarette tobacco smoking,^[1] which has been studied more extensively than any other form of consumption.^[2]

Now what, in your opinion, is more distressing than the single greatest cause of preventable death???

And you should inform so all the organizations dealing with such matters so that they can set better priorities.

[Andre0720]

As a smoker I don't have any problem with efforts to prevent young people from starting smoking - nor any issue with restrictions on smoking places.

What I do take issue with is scatter-brained ideas put forward by self-promoting idiots that have no impact on smoking. I haven't researched the Oz reasons, but there is no evidence here that any amount of scary photos on cigarette packets stops smoking. Have the authorities come up with any figures on smoking numbers since the photos were put there? No, they haven't.

Another thread suggest that smoking here is on an upward trend. In other words, a fail, & I'd suggest that failure to enforce the existing laws on selling to under-aged teens & also selling a few fags out of a packet (supposedly illegal) is the root cause.

Your view on this is reasonable I would think.

But governments are just doing the best they can to counter this problem. With little success I do agree.

Little success perhaps because teens, with developing judment abilities, look up at the elders, some role models who should know better, and just copy them. Perhaps.

[JetsetBkk]

I didn't realise cigarette smoking gave you wonky teeth:

And I don't think many smokers would take any notice of that picture.

[HeavyDrinker]

Now what, in your opinion, is more distressing than the single greatest cause of preventable death???

Unpreventable death caused by the issues raised above. If you really want to beat people with the health stick then look at factors which really affect people's health instead of your self riteous rants about what I (and others) choose to do to ourselves.

Edited March 13, 2013 by HeavyDrinker

[Para]

That's it bigger and uglier pictures is the best deterrent!

Oh maybe not in today's TV news update was this little gem....Number Of Thai Smokers On Upward Trend To 13 Million

[Andre0720]

Now what, in your opinion, is more distressing than the single greatest cause of preventable death???

Unpreventable death caused by the issues raised above. If you really want to beat people with the health stick then look at factors which really affect people's health instead of your self riteous rants about what I (and others) choose to do to ourselves.

Gotcha...finally.

We should put all our efforts to prevent unpreventable causes of death.

[bonobo]

Other health risks that need to be addressed have absolutely no bearing on this issue

When people use 'health' as a debating point as Andre has, then it is the centre of the debate. I'm not citing environmental issues but the effect they have on the health of the population which are far more distressing than self inflicted smoking issues.

And one last time, what does that have to do with the issue of smoking? Because you contend they are worse, then we should "laugh" and those who try to take action against smoking?

We spend billions fighting the common cold, yet there are far worse diseases out there. So from your logic, we should stop fighting the cold?

If this simple point is beyond you, then it is what it is.

And with that, I am done with this line of debate.