Mild On "mild Seven" Not Banned

Mild on "Mild Seven" not banned

BANGKOK: -- The Japanese cigarette brand "Mild Seven" will not be affected by the latest ban on using wording such as "mild" on packets, the Public Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The ban, which will take effect within about six months, covers only a "sub brand" using words that convey a message that the particular cigarette is milder or lighter, said Dr Narong Sahamethapat, deputy directorgeneral of the Disease Control Department.

The Council of State had ruled that in this case the ban could not override a ruling that protects the brand name of the product, he said.

However, he said, the ministry was studying why some countries were able to ban the use of such wording by cigarette brands.

Brazil was the first country to ban the use of words that could lead smokers to believe the cigarette was safer, said Dr Hatai Chitanondh, president of the Health Promotion Institute, who advised the ministry's legal committee when it was drafting the new regulations.

The European Union (EU) recently banned the use of words such as "mild" or "light" even in brand names.

Hatai said the company owning the "Mild Seven" brand had failed to overturn the EU ban in court, but it did not file a lawsuit in Brazil.

-- The Nation 2006-09-07