Thailand’s Public Health Ministry yesterday approved a draft regulation requiring cigarettes to be sold in standardized packaging, according to a story in The Bangkok Post.
In addition, the regulation will require changes to be made to the compulsory graphic warnings currently included on packs.
The Public Health Minister, Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, said the regulation had been approved by the ministry’s national tobacco control committee, which he chairs.
Under the regulation, cigarette packs would not be allowed to include brand logos, promotional text or non-designated colors.
Piyasakol predicted that Thailand would become the 11th country but the first Asian nation to impose standardized cigarette packaging.
However, he did not say when this might occur.
Piyasakol said also that the pictures that were part of the health warnings currently included on cigarette packs would be changed.
They had been in use for five years and people might be overly familiar with them, reducing their effectiveness.
Standardized packs coming
