Bill to ban smoking in public places tabled

The APNU+AFC government yesterday tabled in Parliament a long-expected bill seeking to place a ban on smoking in indoor public places and disallowing the advertising of cigarettes. Presenting it for its first reading was Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence. The Tobacco Control Bill 2017 will also see pictorial and health warnings having to be placed on at least 60% of the packaging on tobacco products. The bill seeks to ban smoking at all indoor workplaces, public transport and strictly regulates the sale of cigarettes while creating reporting requirements for manufacturers, wholesale distributors or importers. Further, penalties for various offences range as high as $9 million and a period of imprisonment. According to the bill’s explanatory memorandum, the purpose of the legislation is to fight the tobacco epidemic by implementing the evidence-based requirements of the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which Guyana acceded to on 15 September, 2005.