Thailand: Scaring Smokers

Source from:  Bangkok Post (th)  07/04/2013

Will bigger, more frightening, warninglabels on cigarette packages reducethe number of smokers in the country?

Health experts and anti-smoking groups believe they will and the tobacco industry seems to agree.

Fewer smokers means lower sales and profits and a courtaction by The Thai Tobacco Trade association(TTTA) may preventthis from happening.

The TTTA lodged a complaint with the Central Administrative Courton June 26, asking it to issuean injunctionto suspendthe enforcementof a new regulationrequiring tobacco firms to enlargewarning labels to cover 85% of the total visiblepackaging surface

The new regulationis set to take effecton Oct 2.

Tobacco companies complainthat haven't been given enough time to prepare new designs and they weren't adequatelyconsulted before the decision to change the labelsize.

Jirawat Yoosabai, the Public Health Ministry's lawyerin charge of the case, disputes both claims.

''After the regulationcomes into force on Oct 2, the companies will have another 180 days to sell off the old versionpackaging and prepare their new package designs,'' he said.

Mr Jirawat said the ministry invited tobacco companies to join hearings in May.

Anti-smoking leaders believe the courtwill decide against the tobacco companies as has been the case in several other countries where similar suits were filed

We will likely know within a month, Mr Jirawat says. Enditem