Sri Lanka: CCA, NATA to Fight for 80 p.c. Pictorial Warnings on Cigarette Packs

Source from:  The Island  05/20/2014

The Cancer Care Association (CCA) would meet Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena to explore the possibility of moving a parliament Bill to make it mandatory to have 80 percent of Pictorial Health Warnings (PHW) on cigarette packs, CCA President Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa said yesterday.

Giving its verdict recently the Court of Appeal ordered to implement PHW covering up to 50 to 60 percent of a packet of cigarette.

Dr. Rajapaksa told The Island that the fight against the tobacco menace was not over yet and his association along with the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), Jeewaka Foundation and Health Ministry would do their utmost to put an end to the menace.

He said that though the request was made to grant permission to cover 80 percent of a cigarette packet, which had been already approved by the Cabinet and Parliament unanimously, it had been reduced to between 50-60 percent, yet it was a victory as the judiciary accepted that the Health Minister had the power to issue the gazette notification as the Health Minister and permission granted to introduce pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets.

"We are not happy about the percentage 50 to 60 percent granted. We are fighting for 80 percent and more as there are good examples from Uruguay and Australia that after PHW the smoking rates have comedown," Dr. Rajapaksa added.

"On the No Tobacco Day, observed on May 31 every year, we will start a signature campaign against tobacco companies and demanding 80 percent of PHW and currently we are preparing documents to hand over to the Health Minister to achieve 80 percent of PHW on cigarette packets," he said.

Dr. Rajapaksa said,"We suggest that the Health Minister and the government insist on 80 percent coverage and continue their battle in achieving the percentage that the Parliament has already approved unanimously."

Meanwhile Health Ministry Media Spokesman Dharma Wanninayaka said that the Health Ministry would gazette a notification for 60 percent of PHW on cigarette packets as soon as possible as a first step to achieve 80 percent of PHW. Enditem