Warnings up to 90 percent
Critics contend that plain packaging has done little to reduce smoking rate in Australia.
The government of Nepal is aiming to require that tobacco manufacturers include 90-percent graphic health warnings on their products from 2018, according to a story in The Kathmandu Post
The requirement would be aimed at discouraging tobacco consumption.
But it was not clear from the story how far along the road were plans for the new warnings.
Addressing an event in the capital entitled, the South Asian leadership training for the control of tobacco products, the Minister for Health, Gagan Kumar Thapa, said the Nepal government aimed to build a tobacco-free generation by 2030.
He said he believed that requiring graphic health warnings on tobacco products would reduce demand for such products and contribute to creating a healthier society.
And he added that those warnings should take up 90 percent the packaging – presumably 90 percent of the main surfaces.
At the same time, on the recommendation of the World Bank and the World Health Organization, the government is said to be planning to hike excise duty and value added tax for tobacco products.
The minister said also that the government was working to raise the minimum legal age to 21 years for buying and using tobacco products, a provision that would be in place by 2018.
