Tobacco Asia

Volume 18, Number 4

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tobaccoasia 23 Max Schlatterer GmbH & Co. KG Alt-Ulmer-Straße 89542 Herbrechtingen Germany Phone +49 (0) 73 24 /15-0 Fax +49 (0) 73 24 /15-2 80 info@esband.de www.esband.de Quality Service Research and Development Fit for Future Made in Germany ... endless reliability! The secrets of our success ... kbu.de The secrets of The secrets of our success The secrets of our success ... Quality Service 02_2013_Schlatterer_tobacco_asia_83x178.indd 1 18.01.2013 12:37:32 COP5 also called for bans or reductions in duty free allowances, and before the meeting Australia already reduced its cigarette allow- ance from 200 cigarettes to 50. Around the same time, Hong Kong reduced its duty free allowance to just 19 cigarettes. In theory, if one brings an unopened pack into Hong Kong, they would need to open it and throw away one cigarette to avoid paying import duties on that "extra" stick. In the two years since the "duty free" recommendation of COP5, other movers in restrictions were Macau in 2013, and India, which just this July halved duty free allowances to 100 sticks, 25 cigars or 125 grams apparently effective immediately. In November, as expected, New Zealand mimics neighboring Australia by reducing duty free allowances by 75% to 50 cigarettes. AT COP6, it is possible that there will be calls for total duty free bans. Ingredient bans At COP6, one of the big issues surely to be under consideration is whether to move forward with calls for global bans on ingredients, flavorings, and/or additives in tobacco products. At COP5 the complex and far-reaching issue was discussed and it was decided to delay a full recommendation on "wording" until COP6. "We support legislation prohibiting tobacco ingredients that are shown through sound scientific evidence to increase the toxicological effects of the product, enhance the pharmacological effects of nicotine, or to lead to increased underage smoking," said British American Tobacco (BAT) in a statement. "There is no evi- dence to suggest that the ingredients we use in our tobacco prod- ucts have any of these effects." Although Philip Morris (PM) supports "laws that require manufacturers to report all of the ingredients used in their tobac- co products to regulators and the public" they "strongly disagree that ingredients should be banned... [regulations] should not force manufacturers to market products that consumers do not want… [The] 'make it taste bad' approach to ingredients regulation is also flawed because it ignores the evidence that strongly suggests that an ingredients ban will not result in less smoking," says PM. It is unlikely (but possible) that COP6 will venture into full ingredient ban policy edicts, but they will strengthen language of reporting of ingredients, which is already a requirement through- out the EU, Brazil, Mexico, Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, and Thailand. Several countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and France also regulate the ingredients that are permitted for use in tobacco products. Classification of e-cigarettes Leading up to COP6, it is apparent that WHO officials are eager to classify electronic cigarettes as tobacco products under the FCTC and impose all the bans and regulation that come with that status. A group of 129 physicians, epidemiologists, and others, organized by anti-tobacco blogging activist Dr. Stanton Glantz and of the University of California San Francisco, in June sent an open letter to WHO urging it to hold firm in imposing strict regulations (recom- mendations) on electronic cigarettes. They claim such bans/regula- tions would "prevent initiation of use among youth and other non- tobacco users, protect bystanders in public areas from involuntary exposure, regulate marketing, and prohibit unsubstantiated claims." In preparation for COP6, tobacco products were cleared from Russian shelves with total point-of-sale visibility bans. This could also be the future tobacco section of your favorite global duty free outlet.

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