New tobacco packaging rule to be applied next month
Deadly habit: Brunei is enforcing ruling on tobacco packaging whereby health warnings will be displayed more prominently. The ruling to apply in December. Picture: Courtesy of Tobacco Control Unit
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
FULL enforcement of the Tobacco Order 2005 has been set to commence on June 1, 2008. Under the Tobacco Laws 2007, the labelling of health warnings onto the packaging of tobacco products will also be mandatory on December 1, 2008.
This announcement was made during a briefing to shop vendors on the new regulations, which was conducted yesterday at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. Dr Hj Zulhilmi POKHPDSS Hj Abdullah, the head of the Tobacco Control Unit outlined the Tobacco Order 2005 and the Tobacco Laws 2007 during a presentation at the event.
The contents of the 2005 Order has been divided into six sections which include the control of tobacco products, the regulations of smoking in specified areas and vehicles and the control of the advertisement of tobacco products.
As part of the control of tobacco products, the import or sale of cigarette packs which contained less than 20 cigarette sticks will be prohibited under the new order. Failure to comply with this rule would result in a fine of $10,000 or six months' imprisonment.
The use of cigarette pack dispensing machines was also forbidden since these machines did not require a person to monitor the sales of such products. Goods which imitated tobacco products such as 'cigarette' sweets can no longer be sold at all retail outlets.
Advertisements of tobacco products in any form, such as ashtrays or posters which contained brand names of these products was also made illegal and they would have to be removed.
Retailers would have to ask for the consumer's to produce their identification upon purchasing tobacco products since these products cannot be sold those under the age of 18. Vendors would be liable to a fine of $5,000 for violation of the Tobacco Order and the minor purchasing the product could be fined $10,000 or serve a six month jail sentence for purchasing tobacco products.
A license was mandatory for the import and sale of tobacco products under the Tobacco Laws 2007.
An annual fee of $2,500 was required to attain the license. Any violation of the Tobacco Order 2005 or the Tobacco Laws 2007 would result in the suspension or cancellation of the retailer's or importer's license.
The license also had to be displayed in an appropriate location in the shop where it can be seen. The license holder had also to display an anti-smoking sign within the facilities. The sign had to follow the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.
According to the terms of the license, only one pack of each cigarette brand was allowed to be displayed in the store. Vendors would have to choose one pack of the brand to offer to customers, in cases where the brand has many variations of the same line of cigarettes. The rest of the stock had to be hidden from view of the customer. Customers would have to ask the shop vendor if they had a particular cigarette pack.
Various places have also been banned to 'smokers'. Among these specified areas were the premises of government buildings and offices, educational institutions, recreational centres and restaurants.
It was the responsibility of managers and those in charge of these areas to ask smokers to either put out their cigarettes or move to another location.
During the Question and Answer session, one shop manager asked how would they be able to stop smokers from lighting up on their premises. Zulhilmi said in cases where the smoker refused to comply with the manager's directions, assistance should be sought from the officers of the Royal Brunei Police Force. (ODM1)
The Brunei Times
This announcement was made during a briefing to shop vendors on the new regulations, which was conducted yesterday at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. Dr Hj Zulhilmi POKHPDSS Hj Abdullah, the head of the Tobacco Control Unit outlined the Tobacco Order 2005 and the Tobacco Laws 2007 during a presentation at the event.
The contents of the 2005 Order has been divided into six sections which include the control of tobacco products, the regulations of smoking in specified areas and vehicles and the control of the advertisement of tobacco products.
As part of the control of tobacco products, the import or sale of cigarette packs which contained less than 20 cigarette sticks will be prohibited under the new order. Failure to comply with this rule would result in a fine of $10,000 or six months' imprisonment.
The use of cigarette pack dispensing machines was also forbidden since these machines did not require a person to monitor the sales of such products. Goods which imitated tobacco products such as 'cigarette' sweets can no longer be sold at all retail outlets.
Advertisements of tobacco products in any form, such as ashtrays or posters which contained brand names of these products was also made illegal and they would have to be removed.
Retailers would have to ask for the consumer's to produce their identification upon purchasing tobacco products since these products cannot be sold those under the age of 18. Vendors would be liable to a fine of $5,000 for violation of the Tobacco Order and the minor purchasing the product could be fined $10,000 or serve a six month jail sentence for purchasing tobacco products.
A license was mandatory for the import and sale of tobacco products under the Tobacco Laws 2007.
An annual fee of $2,500 was required to attain the license. Any violation of the Tobacco Order 2005 or the Tobacco Laws 2007 would result in the suspension or cancellation of the retailer's or importer's license.
The license also had to be displayed in an appropriate location in the shop where it can be seen. The license holder had also to display an anti-smoking sign within the facilities. The sign had to follow the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.
According to the terms of the license, only one pack of each cigarette brand was allowed to be displayed in the store. Vendors would have to choose one pack of the brand to offer to customers, in cases where the brand has many variations of the same line of cigarettes. The rest of the stock had to be hidden from view of the customer. Customers would have to ask the shop vendor if they had a particular cigarette pack.
Various places have also been banned to 'smokers'. Among these specified areas were the premises of government buildings and offices, educational institutions, recreational centres and restaurants.
It was the responsibility of managers and those in charge of these areas to ask smokers to either put out their cigarettes or move to another location.
During the Question and Answer session, one shop manager asked how would they be able to stop smokers from lighting up on their premises. Zulhilmi said in cases where the smoker refused to comply with the manager's directions, assistance should be sought from the officers of the Royal Brunei Police Force. (ODM1)
The Brunei Times
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