After several years of preparatory work, on 4 May 2017 the Parliament of Georgia adopted a new tobacco control act, amending the existing tobacco control act dated December 2010. The law introduces a series of advanced measures such as:

• Prohibits smoking in closed areas other than residential areas and penitentiaries;
• Bans all forms of tobacco promotion;
• Increases the size of health warnings, introduces pictograms and requires plain packaging from 1 January 2018;
• Includes electronic cigarettes in the scope of the law;
• Further regulates the sales of tobacco products, including to minors and through vending machines;
• Prohibits the sales of tobacco products through the internet and by post.

Many of the provisions of the new law reflect the requirements of the tobacco product directive of the European Union and all its new provisions advance the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to which Georgia is a Party. In particular, the adoption of the new act will considerably increase implementation of Article 8 (on smoke-free environments), Article 11 (on packaging and labelling), and Article 13 (on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship).

With requiring plain packaging, Georgia becomes the first low and middle income country that implements this progressive measure.

Source: Parliament of Georgia, http://www.parliament.ge/en/saparlamento-saqmianoba

For more information please contact: Nino Maglakelidze, WHO FCTC focal point, National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, e-mail: n.maglakelidze@ncdc.ge.