Advertisements for cigarettes will be placed only in wholesale stores and in special and closed places where tobacco products are sold and where minors will not have access, IPN reports.
In the debates on the package of anti-tobacco laws held by the Parliament’s commission on economy, budget and finance, producers asked allowing putting adverts in places where tobacco products are sold. Japan Tobacco International taxes manager Ion Borodac said that the advertisements for tobacco products in Moldova will be banned everywhere and the outlets selling cigarettes will be the only place for communicating with consumers.
Minister of Health Andrei Usatyi said the anti-tobacco package bans any direct form of publicity in favor of tobacco products, including on the radio and TV, in the print media and in movie theaters. Advertising through electronic communications, inside and outside places selling tobacco products, in units of transport and on smoking accessories is banned. The tobacco articles must be hidden from minors as, according to statistics, 70% of the smokers start to smoke before coming of age.
Jurist of a tobacco company Sergiu Covali asked reviewing the percentage of the area that the pictograms imprinted on packs of cigarettes must occupy. The bills provide that the combined warnings about the dangers of smoking should occupy not less than 65% of the external area of the pack. The jurist said this percentage is too high and is not in accordance with other legal norms as not much space remains for other obligatory texts.
The meeting decided that the fiscal legislation will be modified. Now the legislation sets a ceiling on the prices of tobacco products. The commission’s head Veaceslav Ionita said that this norm is an aberration because the tobacco producers should be able to raise the price of cigarettes as high as possible.
The sale of tobacco products with aroma will be also banned. The anti-tobacco bills will come into force in 2016.
