Proposed tobacco control legislation will see a ban on smoking in public places while cigarette advertising will no longer be allowed and pictorial and text health warnings will have to be displayed on at least 75% of the packaging on tobacco products.
The long-awaited legislation, a copy of which has been obtained by Stabroek News, also seeks to ban smoking at all indoor workplaces, public transport and strictly regulates the sale of cigarettes while creating reporting requirements for manufacturers, wholesale distributors or importers. Penalties for various offences range as high as $16 million and a period of imprisonment.
The legislation has been long in the making and Cabinet last November gave its approval for a tobacco control bill to be