Sri Lanka: Anti-smoking Campaigns Have Rural Aims

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter  08/26/2013

Cigarette sales in Sri Lanka have gone down by seven per cent during the past several months due to the government's efforts at discouraging smoking, according to a Daily News story quoting Health Minister, Maithripala Sirisena.

And now the ministry is waiting on a court judgement that is expected to give it the go-ahead to require the imposition of graphic health warnings taking up 80 per cent of cigarette-pack surfaces.
"Thailand has already implemented 85 per cent of pictorial warning coverage on cigarette packets," the minister said.

Sirisena is keen that anti-smoking campaigns should reach 'difficult and rural areas' where older people continue to smoke. Enditem