80 Percent of Tobacco Packs Carry Warnings

Public health warnings are on 80 percent of tobacco product packaging in Cambodia, according to the National Centre for Health Promotion (NCHP) at the Ministry of Health (MoH), reports Khmer Times.

The MoH has made health warnings mandatory on packaging, said Chhea Chhordaphea, director of the NCHP, adding that they appear on 82 percent of tobacco products.

“We see that most tobacco companies have fully complied with the requirement to place health warning messages on product packaging. We found from a survey that 97 percent of the public support a ban on smoking in workplaces and public places,” she said.

“We will increase taxes on the excise stamps for cigarette packs, and if the ministry team finds any products that lack excise stamps or warning labels, then we will take action and impose fines,” said Bou Vong Sokha, deputy secretary-general of public finance management at the Ministry of Economy and Finance.