 Australia
date in effect:
1 March 2006
Warnings
cover 30% of the front and 90% of the back of each
package. The back of the package provides expanded
information on the warning, as well as information on the
Australian Quitline.
Fourteen
warnings have been developed: seven to be displayed in the
first year, and seven different warnings in the second.
Links
to:
►full
set of Australian warnings (html)
►full
set of Australian warnings (pdf)
►Australian
law
►Australian
government announcement
|
 Belgium
date in effect:
April 2007 (and
earlier)
The size of Belgian
warnings is determined by European Union regulations (see
below). The warning must cover 35% of the cigarette
package (because Belgium is a country with three
languages). A border is also required.
In August 2004, Belgium
issued a Royal Decree stating that companies must start
manufacturing cigarettes with combined picture-text
warnings after the designs were made public by the
government, and that all cigarettes sold must have these
warnings within 18 months. The government issued
guidelines for the combined warnings on October 27, 2005.
Belgium has created three
series of warnings, each set containing 14 warnings. The
first set will appear during the first year, the second on
the second year, and so forth.
►Belgian
Royal Decree (August 2004) (html)
►Belgian
Ministerial decree, with pictures of warnings (October 27,
2005)(pdf)
►Belgian
government announcement
|
 Brazil
date in effect:
February 2002
Warnings must cover 100% of
one side of the package (the one most easily visible to
the consumer).
Brazil developed new health
warning messages, which will take effect revised its
health warning messages in
Links to:
► full
set of Brazilian warnings (html)
►Brazilian
regulation
►
Brazilian
news release (English)
|
 Canada
date in effect:
December 20, 2000
Warnings must cover 50% of
each of the front and back of the package. One side
is in English and one side is in French (Canada's two
official languages).
Each package must also
include an insert (a flyer or printed on the inside of the
package) which provides information on quitting.
There are 16 health warning
messages which must appear in equal numbers in each brand.
Health Canada is now
developing a new set of warning messages.
links to:
►
full set of
Canadian warnings (html)
►Canadian
law
►Health
Canada information
|
|
Chile
In
August 2006, Chile adopted a new tobacco law which, in
addition to establishing smoking restrictions in public
places, banning advertising and the promotion of 'light'
brands, required that all cigarette packages display a
graphic health warning that occupied 50% of the package
surface.
The
requirement for new health warnings came into effect on
November 12, 2006.
The
warning, shown below, was reinforced with a public
information campaign (see billboard).
Links to:
►
Chilean government press release (English)
► Presidential
statement (English)
►
law
20.105
►
Powerpoint
presentation of Chilean law (Spanish) (11 mb!)
|
| Hong
Kong
In October 2006, the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region gazetted changes to its
Smoking Ordinance. Among other things (including ban on
misleading descriptors), the new regulations require that
by October 27, 2007 all cigarettes sold in Hong Kong
display 50% health warning messages in both Chinese and
English.  |
Korea
In March 2007, the
Korean government indicated that it would be introducing
legislation in June 2007 to require picture warnings
covering 30% of the bottom of the package starting in
2008. News
report.
|
| India
date in effect:
February 2007 (in law, but not necessarily in
practice.
In 2003, India passed a law
which, among other things, required picture based health
warning messages. The supporting regulations were
issued in 2006. Four rotating health warning messages are
required.
|
 |
 |
|
 |
Jordan
date in effect:
January 2005 (?)
In March, 2005, the
Jordanian government announced that it would require an
image of a diseased lung to be printed on cigarette
packages.
The image will occupy 1/3
of a cigarette packet's side panel, while the written
warning against cancer and lung disease caused by smoking
would cover 1/3 of the front or rear of the packet.
Links to:
►
Jordan
government press release
|
|
| Malaysia
 On
May 31, 2008, the Malaysian Minister of Health announced
that pictoral warnings would appear on cigarette packages
in that country and on September 15, 2008, the 6 required
images were gazetted.
On
January 1, 2009, each manufacturer must ensure that 2
brands display the warning messages and by March 1, 2009,
all brands must display these warnings. On June 1, 2009,
all cigarettes without the new warnings must be removed
from the market. (source:
Dr.
Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed)
►
pdf
from regulation
|
|
|
New
Zealand
 In
November 2006, the New Zealand government announced that
by February 27, 2008 all cigarettes sold in that country
must have one of 14 warnings covering 90 of the back of
the package and 30 of the front. The warnings must appear
in both English and Maori languages. Graphic health
warnings are also required on cigars.
Cigarette
packets will also display the Quitline
freephone number and other information about quitting
smoking. The government also revised its toxic constituent
labelling for the side panel of cigarette packages. .
Links
to:
►
New
Zealand consultation document
►
New
Zealand Press release (november 2, 2006)
|
| Panama
Tobacco products in Panama must carry a
picture health warning on one side of the package.
This measure was adopted in 2005.
► Panama
law
► Panamanian
regulation |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Romania
date in effect:
1 July 2008
Romania passed an order in
June 2005 adopting the EU text and picture warnings.
Links to:
►
Romanian
regulation of June 15, 2004
►
Ordinance
574 din
30 martie 2007
(30 March 2007)
►
Ordinance
nr.618 10-04-2007 |
|
 Singapore
date in effect:
July 1, 2004
Singapore requires that
each package of cigarettes includes a health warning that
is at least 50% of both sides. There are six health
warning messages.
links to:
►
full set
of Singapore warnings (html)
►Singapore
law
|
|
pictures
not yet available
|
Switzerland
date in effect:
January 1, 2010 (for graphic warnings)
Link to
►Swiss
Health Authority
►Swiss
Law
►Swiss
press release |
| |
|
Taiwan
 As
of January 2009, picture warnings will be placed on
packages, occupying 35% of the front and back. The
amendments will come into effect on January 11, 2009.
►
Taiwan
law
|
 Thailand
date in effect:
25 March 2005
Thailand requires that each
package of cigarettes includes a health warning that
covers at least 50% of both sides of the package.
here are six health warning messages.
links to:
►
full
set of Thai warnings (html)
►Thai
regulation
► Thai
government press release
|
| United
Kingdom
 In
August 2007 the United Kingdom announced that, effective
October 1, 2008, cigarettes sold in that country must show
one of 15 health warning messages, many of which use
pictures. These warnings were selected following a
public consultation process and are taken from those
developed by the European Union
►August
2007 regulation: The Tobacco Products (Manufacture,
Presentation and Sale) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations
2007
►Regulatory
Assessment
►Report
on Consultation
|
|
Uruguay
In
2005, Uruguay developed regulations requiring eight
picture health warnings to appear on the bottom 50% of
each side of each tobacco package. Tobacco companies
were given six months to comply with the regulation, and
messages messages must be on all cigarette packages in
April 2006.
►Uruguayan
regulation
|
|
 Venezuela
date in
effect:
15 april 2005
Venezuela
provides 10 warnings which must be shown in rotation on
100% of one side of the cigarette package. The
packages must also carry a warning that "there is no
safe level of consumption."
Links to:
►full
set of Venezuela warnings (html)
►Venezuela
regulation
► Venezuela
press release
|
 European
Union
date in effect:
October 1, 2004
The European Union does not
require pictures on cigarette warnings.
It does provide its member
states with the option of using some of 42 picture based
warnings.
The minimum size for
cigarette warnings in the EU is 30% of the front and 40%
of the back (for unilingual countries), and 32% and 45% of
the back for bilingual countries. A border is also
required.
links to:
►
full set of European
warnings (html)
►
European Union directive (2001)
►
European
Union decision on the use of colour (2003)
►
EU
Press announcement, October 22, 2004 |
|
