A new index is helping governments in South-East Asia strengthen implementation of tobacco packaging and labelling in their countries.
http://www.fctc.org/fca-news/opinion-pieces/1416-strengthening-tobacco-packaging-and-labelling-in-asia
Key findings from the index:
- All 10 ASEAN countries apply pictorial health warnings (PHWs).
- Thailand leads with the largest PHWs.
- Legislated health warnings are applied to all forms of tobacco packaging among the ASEAN countries.
- All ASEAN countries ban adhesive labels, stickers, cases, covers, sleeves, wrapping and promotional inserts and onserts on tobacco products that can obscure, obliterate or undermine health warnings.
- Seven countries gave less than 10 months to the tobacco industry to comply with pictorial warnings.
- Enforcement authorities in seven ASEAN countries possess sufficient powers to order violators to recall non-compliant tobacco products.
- All ASEAN countries indicated that their health warning law or regulation needed to be reviewed and updated periodically.