Anti-smoking law

By Pittaluga Abogados

The request was personally submitted on April 1 by MSP minister Susana Muñiz, vice minister Leonel Briozzo and president of the National Administration of Health Services (ASSE) Beatriz Silva, during their appearance on the Public Health Commission of the Senate. 

Sent to the national Legislature on June 2013, the law hasn´t yet been discussed by senators and the Ministry wants and needs to accelerate its approval. Main reason for it is the nearby visit from director of the Pan American Health Organization (OPS) Carisa Etienne, who will arrive to Uruguay on April 28. On past meetings with Uruguayan authorities Etienne has publicly acknowledge and congratulate the country´s actions against tobacco consumption.

The new regulation toughens government policies: a current law prohibits "advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products except inside sales points", while the new bill modifies an article to remove that last exception and therefore totally ban promotion, "including exhibition and display of tobacco products on sales points, as this is also a form of advertising."

The changes will only allow the exhibition of a text list with those tobacco products on sale that "must include MSP information warning over the damages caused consumption and smoking" of those products.

Since 2005 Uruguay has taken deep measures against tobacco industry in favour of public health care purposes. Some of them had created controversy around IP rights (health warnings must cover 80% of cigarette packages or companies are allowed to commercialize only one cigarette trademark) and even wind up on international trials, such as the noted one with american multinational Philip Morris.