Some changes in the cigarette industry in Croatia.
In the autumn of this year, the first packs of cigarettes with shocking photographs of gravely ill smokers and warnings about the hazards of smoking to health will appear in Croatian shops. Health warnings will be significantly larger than today and will have to cover at least 65 percent of the packaging, reports Novi List on August 10, 2015.
Cigarettes and tobacco will not be allowed to contain added flavors, while the regulations related to e-cigarettes will be tightened. They will no longer be allowed in public spaces and in non-smoking areas. The new law is harmonized with the EU directive on the restriction of smoking, and is expected to be adopted in parliament later this year.
With the above-mentioned provisions, aimed at reducing the number of smokers and exposure of citizens to tobacco smoke, Croatian legislation will be harmonized with the EU directive, which all member states have to incorporate in their laws by mid-2016. It is expected that the law in Croatia will take effect in the autumn. Cigarettes and other tobacco products manufactured by the old rules will be sold on the Croatian market until 20 May 2017.
The new law prohibits packaging with less than 20 cigarettes and the manufacturers will have to publish the ingredients of their cigarettes. As far as e-cigarettes are concerned, they will be considered tobacco products and will not be allowed to contain more than 20 mg/ml of nicotine.
On the packaging, there will be no elements with promotional or misleading characteristics which would indicate potential social benefits, taste or aroma, or suggest that the product is less harmful than others. Access to the market will be banned to all tobacco products containing flavorings and certain food additives. On each pack of cigarettes there will be the general warning “Smoking Kills”, as well as the message that tobacco smoke contains more than 70 substances that cause cancer. In addition, health warnings will be introduced with photos and text messages about the consequences of smoking.
