The proposal will be floated GCC-wide in two years when health officials will be required to revise packaging of all tobacco products.
The UAE will propose plain packaging for tobacco products in 2016 for a more forceful impact, said a senior health official, adding that the aim was to make the UAE 100 per cent smoke free in two years.
The proposal will be floated GCC-wide in two years when health officials will be required to revise packaging of all tobacco products.
The current packaging, introduced in mid-2012, requires manufacturers to cover 50 per cent of the cigarette packet with pictorial warnings both in Arabic and English that are used on a rotation basis to deter smokers.
Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, head of the UAE National Committee for Tobacco Control at the Ministry of Health (MoH), said a proposal to increase the current size of the display pictures from 50 per cent to 70 per cent was also being suggested. “We need a plainer packaging after two years,” she said.
“While we are making this suggestion, we are also going to push for a bigger size for pictures as an alternative,” added Dr Al Maidoor.
She said that by making the pictures cover 70 per cent of the cover and changing them often would make people know more about the dangers of smoking.
Plain cigarette packaging requires removal of all branding (colours, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks), permitting manufacturers to print only the brand name in a mandated size, font and place on the pack, in addition to the health warnings and any other legally mandated information. Appearance of all tobacco packs is standardised, including the colour of the pack.
Currently, only a couple of countries in the world including Australia and New Zealand have plain packaging on cigarettes.
Various studies carried out by Australia before switching to plainer packs suggest that packaging plays an important role in encouraging young people to try cigarettes. This year, the ministry will be conducting the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) and a deadline of January 21 has been set for reinforcement of the anti-tobacco law, said Dr Al Maidoor.
