Government orders printing pictorial warning on upper side of tobacco packs

National Tobacco Control Cell of Health and Family Welfare Ministry has issued a notice ordering printing of pictorial anti-tobacco warning message on at least 50 percent space of upper side of any tobacco product packet, cartoon or box. 

The order said no tobacco product can be sold without pictorial anti-tobacco warning message printed on upper side of the tobacco packs from 19th September this year. 

Anyone violating the order will get maximum six months of imprisonment or be charged Tk 2 lakhs. The punishment will be doubled, if the same person violates the order repeatedly. 

The order has been made in line with Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (control) Rules 2015 under Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (control) Act 2005 (amended in 2013). 

The notice said the government has withdrawn its earlier order, issued on March 16, 2016, to print the pictorial anti-tobacco warning on minimum 50 percent space of lower part of tobacco packets, cartoon or box.

Source: bss