Latest news with #TobaccoProductsandElectronicDeliverySystemsControlBill
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Maverick
If your cigarette box isn't disgusting, it's not doing its job
A throat ulcer. Bloody urine. A sick baby. That's what smokers in other countries see. In South Africa? For now, it's a tiny black box. In Bangladesh, cigarette packs show a photo of an ulcer on a throat or someone on a ventilator. Mexico's show bloody urine in a toilet or a woman with breast cancer. In South Africa, a small black box reads: 'Warning: Smoking kills.' When warning signs are big, graphic and swapped out regularly, they stop people from smoking, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest Global Tobacco Epidemic report, which focuses on these types of warning signs and anti-tobacco marketing. Yet, despite the WHO finding that South Africa – along with Lesotho – has the highest proportion of adults who smoke daily in Africa, our warnings are outdated. The regulations, last updated in 1995, require health warnings that cover 15% of the front of a cigarette pack, far below the WHO's recommendation of at least 50%. Local cigarette packs have eight different warning texts, such as 'Danger: Smoking causes cancer' and 'Warning: Don't smoke around children', but none shows images. There are also no warning regulations for e-cigarette packaging, which often have fruity flavours wrapped in colourful pictures that targets young people, says Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, a public health expert from the University of Pretoria and a member of the WHO's study group on tobacco product regulation. 'We don't have graphic warnings [which is a problem because] many people can't read the text that's only in English, and we don't enforce laws around advertisement, particularly for e-cigarettes.' That will change if Parliament passes the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, which would require all tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) to have plain packaging and a graphic warning that covers at least 65% of the front of packaging. 'Weak' text-only warnings The WHO recommends cigarette pack warnings as one of six ways to stop people from smoking, along with tracking tobacco use and raising taxes on it. These warnings should be graphic, in colour, cover at least half of the pack, alternate often to target different groups – such as pregnant women and young people – and be printed in a country's main languages. Picture warnings showing the harms of smoking, like blackened lungs or children in hospital beds, are harder to ignore than text warnings alone. That's because they keep people's attention, help develop negative emotions around cigarettes like fear or disgust, and lessen the desire to start smoking or encourage quitting. According to the WHO report, about 110 countries use cigarette graphic warnings, but 40 – including South Africa – still have 'weak' text-only labels or none at all. Canada was the first to adopt graphic warnings, in 2001, using images like rotten teeth and red eyes with text such as 'When you smoke it shows' to cover 50% of the front and back of cigarette packs. Nine months after their introduction, a survey of 432 smokers found that about one in five were smoking less. Australia, which has been using graphic warnings since 2006, introduced plain packaging in 2012 to make health warnings work better and discourage smoking. Their cigarette packs also include health warnings and can't show branding apart from the product name. Combined with bans on public smoking and higher tobacco taxes, it has helped lower adult smoking. 'The colour of the pack makes a difference' Under South Africa's proposed anti-smoking legislation, all cigarette packs sold in the country will carry plain packaging and graphic warnings. Tobacco products will be wrapped in a uniform plain colour chosen by the health minister and must have warnings that cover at least 65% of the front and back. Cigarette packs must show messages about the harms of smoking or benefits of quitting, information about what the product contains and emits, and include pictures or graphics that show the health risks. 'Our tests show that around 80% works well… but the Bill is very good and will change the whole tobacco and nicotine control landscape,' says Ayo-Yusuf. Local research among university students showed that plain packaging with a 75% graphic warning lowered how much satisfaction smokers get from cigarettes. Non-smokers were also least likely to want to try a plain pack compared with a branded one. 'The colour of the pack makes a difference,' says Ayo-Yusuf. 'South Africans look at their pack in making a brand choice, and that choice is linked to what we call the expected sensory experience [how satisfying smoking is], which leads to smoking more cigarettes a day.' The rules on packaging and warnings won't stop at cigarettes. They will also apply to nicotine products like e-cigarettes (or vapes) – devices that heat a liquid containing flavourings such as gummy bear or cherry peach lemon in colourful packaging that appeals to children. While they are marketed as 'less harmful' than cigarettes, because they don't burn tobacco, they are still addictive and can cause lung damage. Plain packaging makes e-cigarettes less appealing to young people. In a 2023 survey of 2,469 adolescents (11 to 18 years old) in Great Britain, researchers found that among those who had never smoked before, 40% said they had no interest in trying e-cigarettes shown in plain green packaging – compared with 33% for branded packs. Nevertheless, plain packaging has become one of the main targets of the tobacco industry's pushback against the Bill. Big Tobacco strikes back The Tobacco Bill has been in the making since 2018 but only got to Parliament in December 2022 after years of contention. Because South Africa's rules on advertising tobacco are strict, Big Tobacco relies on packaging as a marketing tool. The industry claims that if every box of cigarettes has the same plain packaging, smokers won't be able to tell legal from counterfeit cigarettes, which will promote illicit trade. When cigarettes are produced illegally with fake trademarks or sold to customers before taxes are paid on the goods, it is seen as illicit trade. While companies have long exaggerated how big the illicit market is, a 2023 study in South African Crime Quarterly found it mostly involves legitimate local manufacturers who dodge taxes while still producing branded cigarettes. 'Currently, they're already producing these cigarettes and not paying taxes. Even if [all the boxes look the same] it's not going to make it any worse or less,' says Ayo-Yusuf. The industry also argues that the Bill is a missed opportunity to get people to stop smoking cigarettes, because it groups 'less-harmful new categories of nicotine products' with traditional cigarettes – even though studies show they aren't harm-free. But Ayo-Yusuf says their protests are premature; the detailed regulations that spell out exactly which warnings will apply to which products will only come later. For example, current rules list eight warning texts that must alternate on cigarette packs, while smokeless tobacco products only carry one about oral cancer. 'They are jumping ahead by claiming you can't regulate vapes the same way as cigarettes. The regulation could say that cigarette packs must have a graphic of a sick baby, while vapes show an image of someone chained to addiction.' In a Parliamentary hearing last month, the industry continued to double down during public comment on the Bill, saying that applying the same packaging rules on all nicotine products is too strict and should instead be tested gradually. Once the hearings end, it will be up to the National Assembly to pass, amend or reject the Bill before it finally goes to the National Council of Provinces and then the President to be signed into law.
TimesLIVE
10-07-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
If your cigarette box isn't disgusting, it's not doing its job
In Bangladesh, cigarette packs show a photo of an ulcer on a throat or someone on a ventilator. Mexico's show bloody urine in a toilet or a woman with breast cancer. In South Africa, a small black box reads: 'Warning: Smoking kills.' When warning signs are big, graphic and swapped out regularly, they help stop people smoking, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) latest Global Tobacco Epidemic report, which focuses on these types of warning signs and anti-tobacco marketing. Yet, despite the WHO finding that South Africa — along with Lesotho — has the highest proportion of adults who smoke daily in Africa, our warnings are outdated. The regulations, last updated in 1995, require health warnings that cover 15% of the front of a cigarette pack, far below the WHO's recommendation of at least 50%. Local cigarette packs have eight different warning texts, like 'Danger: Smoking causes cancer' and 'Warning: Don't smoke around children', but none show images. There are also no warning regulations for e-cigarette packaging, which often has fruity flavours wrapped in colourful pictures that target the youth, says Lekan Ayo-Yusuf, public health expert from the University of Pretoria and a member of the WHO's study group on tobacco product regulation. 'We don't have graphic warnings [which is a problem because] many people can't read the text that's only in English, and we don't enforce laws around advertisement, particularly for e-cigarettes.' That will change if parliament passes the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, which would require all tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) to have plain packaging and a graphic warning that covers at least 65% of the front of packaging. 'Weak' text only warnings The WHO recommends cigarette pack warnings as one of six ways to stop people from smoking, along with tracking tobacco use and raising taxes on it. These warnings should be graphic, in colour, cover at least half of the pack, alternate often to target different groups — such as pregnant women and the youth — and be printed in a country's main languages. Picture warnings showing the harms of smoking, like blackened lungs or children in hospital beds, are harder to ignore than text warnings alone. That's because they keep people's attention, help develop negative emotions around cigarettes, like fear or disgust, and lessen the desire to start smoking or encourage quitting. According to the WHO report, about 110 countries use cigarette graphic warnings, but 40 — including South Africa — still have 'weak' text-only labels or none at all. Canada was the first to adopt graphic warnings in 2001, using images like rotten teeth and red eyes with texts like 'when you smoke it shows' to cover 50% of the front and back of cigarette packs. Nine months after their introduction, a survey of 432 smokers found that about one in five were smoking less. Australia, which has been using graphic warnings since 2006, introduced plain packaging in 2012 to make health warnings work better and discourage smoking. Their cigarette packs also include health warnings and can't show branding apart from the product name. Combined with bans on public smoking and higher tobacco taxes, it has helped lower adult smoking.
IOL News
23-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Puff, Puff, Pass. . . Outside? – Backlash brews over new proposed smoking laws
The Department of Health's proposed changes to tobacco laws could see smokers face jail time for smoking entjies and e-cigarettes indoors and failing to adhere to other prohibited smoking legislation. Image: Thirdman/Pexels South African liquor traders have raised serious objections to proposed new smoking legislation that would require significant changes to bars, taverns, and restaurants across the country. The legislation, currently being processed by the Department of Health, aims to ban the display advertising of tobacco products, standardise packaging, and introduce stricter controls on e-cigarettes and vaping. While the proposed changes affect the wider hospitality industry, including the ban on vending machines, the biggest challenge lies in where people can smoke. Under the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, smoking would be outlawed indoors and in certain public spaces, forcing patrons to move outside. New regulations also stipulate that designated smoking areas must be located a specific distance from windows, ventilation points, and entryways. The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association (GLTA) expressed concern that this requirement would be completely unworkable in township environments, where many smaller taverns operate. The association said that businesses had already invested in creating compliant smoking spaces after the last revision of the smoking laws, designating 25% of their floor space for this purpose. The new legislation, it argued, would force businesses to spend even more to build new spaces or risk falling foul of the regulations. 'The Minister has discretion over this distance, but the Department of Health previously suggested 10 metres. This provision is totally unworkable in a township environment,' the GLTA said. The association added that staff would be required to leave the building to smoke, potentially leaving the venue vulnerable to security threats and affecting employee productivity. Similar concerns apply to patrons, who might be forced to move to isolated areas where they could be at risk of crime. Although the GLTA focused its concerns on smaller, informal traders, it warned that all businesses with designated smoking areas would be impacted, regardless of their location, and would face increased costs. The impact on the illicit cigarette trade Business Against Crime South Africa (BACSA) argued that making it harder for businesses to operate legally could drive more traders towards the black market. According to BACSA, the illicit tobacco market already accounts for 60–70% of sales, costing the national budget roughly R18bn each year. The group warned that the draft legislation lacks enforcement measures to combat the illegal trade and does not provide tools such as track‑and‑trace systems or improved border controls. The GLTA also pointed out that the new laws create the risk of increased corruption, especially given that certain elements within the police have been known to solicit bribes. It stated that making it a criminal offence for businesses to fail to spot an errant smoker would only create further opportunities for exploitation. Penalties 'The penalty for smoking in a banned area is three months in prison, and/or a fine. The penalty for smoking near a non‑smoking employee is ten years in prison and/or a fine." The association noted that there are more serious crimes for the authorities to focus on in South Africa. IOL Lifestyle Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
IOL News
23-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
South African taverns and bars voice strong opposition to new anti-smoking regulations
The Department of Health's proposed changes to tobacco laws could see smokers face jail time for smoking entjies and e-cigarettes indoors and failing to adhere to other prohibited smoking legislation. South African liquor traders have raised serious objections to proposed new smoking legislation that would require significant changes to bars, taverns, and restaurants across the country. The legislation, currently being processed by the Department of Health, aims to ban the display advertising of tobacco products, standardise packaging, and introduce stricter controls on e-cigarettes and vaping. While the proposed changes affect the wider hospitality industry, including the ban on vending machines, the biggest challenge lies in where people can smoke. Under the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, smoking would be outlawed indoors and in certain public spaces, forcing patrons to move outside. New regulations also stipulate that designated smoking areas must be located a specific distance from windows, ventilation points, and entryways. The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association (GLTA) expressed concern that this requirement would be completely unworkable in township environments, where many smaller taverns operate. The association said that businesses had already invested in creating compliant smoking spaces after the last revision of the smoking laws, designating 25% of their floor space for this purpose. The new legislation, it argued, would force businesses to spend even more to build new spaces or risk falling foul of the regulations. 'The Minister has discretion over this distance, but the Department of Health previously suggested 10 metres. This provision is totally unworkable in a township environment,' the GLTA said. The association added that staff would be required to leave the building to smoke, potentially leaving the venue vulnerable to security threats and affecting employee productivity. Similar concerns apply to patrons, who might be forced to move to isolated areas where they could be at risk of crime. Although the GLTA focused its concerns on smaller, informal traders, it warned that all businesses with designated smoking areas would be impacted, regardless of their location, and would face increased costs.
The Citizen
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Tobacco Bill bans sale of loose cigarettes – informal traders fear bankruptcy
A clause in the Bill bans the sale of single cigarettes, and if a person is found selling a 'loose' cigarette, they can be fined and/or imprisoned. The Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill in South Africa prohibits the sale of single cigarettes (or loose cigarettes), which informal traders say could bankrupt their businesses. It also regulates other aspects of tobacco control, including public smoking, advertising, and packaging requirements. The Portfolio Committee on Health discussed the impact of the Bill on businesses earlier this week. Members have completed public hearings in all provinces and are now taking oral submissions in parliament. ALSO READ: Why is parliament dragging its feet with the Tobacco Bill? Tobacco Bill Mampapatla Madikoto, Limpopo Small, Medium Enterprises and Hawkers Association general secretary, told members of the portfolio committee that the ban on single cigarettes would cripple their operations, as many of their customers not only buy cigarettes but also other items. A clause in the Bill bans the sale of single cigarettes. If a person is found selling a 'loose' cigarette, they can be fined and/or imprisoned. He added that there are many reasons why people decide to buy single cigarettes, including a box being too expensive, or they are trying to control their smoking habit. Display of tobacco products Madikoto added that the clause will affect approximately two million informal traders, hawkers, spaza shop owners and home-based operators across the country. The proposed Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill aims to strengthen these measures further by introducing even stricter regulations. This includes banning the display of tobacco products at the point of sale, regulating electronic nicotine delivery systems, and potentially moving towards plain packaging. He told the members that the Bill's ban on displaying cigarettes on countertops or tables is impractical. ALSO READ: Tobacco bill won't curb smoking in the least Smoking outdoors The proposed Bill also seeks to hold traders liable if their customers are found smoking near their stalls in outdoor public places that are designated nonsmoking areas. Currently, tobacco legislation prohibits smoking in indoor public places, except for designated smoking areas that can be up to 25% of the indoor area. However, the government is considering a complete ban on smoking in indoor public places and certain outdoor public areas. The owner of the restaurant/pub, or employer, will be responsible for ensuring that the public space designated as a nonsmoking area is smoke-free. Selling online Madoda Khuzwayo, CEO and founder of SIP, told the committee that the Bill discriminates against online shopping. The Bill seeks to ban the sale and offer for sale of tobacco products online. Khuzwayo, who sells alcohol and tobacco products online, said this clause is unfair, as selling such products contributes significantly to his business. He highlighted that online retailers will not be able to list any tobacco products, while larger physical retailers are permitted to do so. ALSO READ: Pressure mounts for government to pass Tobacco Bill Underage smoking One of the reasons for the strict measures is to control underage smoking, which Khuzwayo has addressed in his business. 'When someone buys alcohol or cigarettes through our business, they will need to produce a physical identification document upon delivery, which will be captured into the system. 'But it is close to impossible for underage smoking to be prevented if children need to go into the store to make a purchase, because some look older and there will be no need to ask for proof of identity,' he added. He said the government can check online retailers' data to prove that alcohol and tobacco are not being sold to minors. Additionally, most of the websites that sell these items block minors. Khuzwayo has requested that the government consider removing the clause banning online tobacco sales. He highlighted that without the necessary amendments, the Bill risks discriminating against small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as e-commerce is many SMEs' main source of revenue. 'Without amendments, the Bill entrenches inequality, especially in townships, and excludes emerging small business players,' he said. NOW READ: Budget 3.0: Alcohol and cigarette prices will increase — here's by how much
