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Johannesburg - The minimum age for buying and selling tobacco products has been raised to 18 years.
Sweets and toys resembling tobacco products are now also taboo.
The Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act was recently promulgated by the President and, although it is only a framework and regulations will need to be stipulated, there are certain parts of the legislation that immediately come into effect.
The chief executive of the Tobacco Institute, Francois van der Merwe, says South Africa is exceptionally progressive with its anti-tobacco legislation and it's therefore possible that the global "pictures on the pack" trend will be adopted.
Cigarette packs could thus soon display images of diseased lungs and ugly teeth - not that this has put a damper on smoking habits in countries where it has already been implemented.
"A smoker sees what he wants to see. A smoker who wants to smoke will continue smoking," declares Van der Merwe.
On the other hand it will cost companies millions of rands to make adjustments to their packaging - which will of course increase the price of the product.
"The illegal tobacco industry, where criminals manufacture cigarettes from poor quality tobacco and paper in their backyards, will flourish," Van der Merwe points out. Consumers with little disposable income will, in his view, buy an illegal pack for R6 or R8 rather that a packet costs R16 to R20.
Advertising is already a thing of the past, except at sales points.
Van der Merwe reckons South Africa is well on the way to no longer permitting tobacco products to be displayed at points of sale. What is more, the industry may no longer inform consumers of new products by means of letters or SMSs, as they could in the past. Tobacco products may also not be distributed free of charge.
Sales of tobacco products over the internet are now also illegal, and there are strict rules regarding the positioning of coin-operated machines to prevent under-18s from accessing them.
- Sake24.com
For more business news in Afrikaans, go to Sake24.com.