Loose cigarette sales to be banned

The sale of loose cigarettes is to be banned soon in Sri Lanka, according to a Daily News story quoting the Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne.

Senaratne said that once the ban was imposed, cigarettes would be sold only in packs.

The minister said also that the plan to impose standardized packaging on cigarettes would be implemented soon.

At the moment, cigarette packs in Sri Lanka bear pictorial warnings that take up 80 percent of the surface area.

The minister made the announcements during a meeting with the Government Medical Officers’ Association on Wednesday.