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The leading players in Uruguayan tobacco market include Philip Morris International, Abal Hermanos S.A. and British American Tobacco plc 

This databook provides key data and information on the tobacco market in Uruguay. This report is a comprehensive resource for market, category and segment level data including value, volume, distribution share and company & brand share. This report also provides expenditure and consumption data for the historic and forecast periods.

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Uruguay tops health warnings list 

Uruguay will have the largest cigarette warnings in the world, which will cover 80 per cent of the front and back of packages.

The new warnings will appear on cigarette packages in Uruguay on March 1, 2010.

Currently, warnings in Uruguay cover 50 per cent of the front and back of cigarette packages. Uruguay takes the lead over Mauritius, which has warnings that cover 60 per cent of the front and 70 per cent of the back of cigarette packages.

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• Uruguayan lawmakers ban tobacco advertising  

Uruguay's Congress passed a law on Friday banning tobacco advertising, the latest anti-smoking measure in a government-led crackdown, a parliamentary spokesman said.

President Tabare Vazquez, an oncologist, has taken a tough line on smoking. In 2006, his government passed the stiffest restrictions on smoking in Latin America by banning smoking in all public buildings, from bars to offices and shopping malls.

The latest measure, which Vazquez must still sign into law, prohibits the tobacco advertising on the radio and television, in newspapers and magazines and on billboards. It does not cover Internet advertising.

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• Nations from the Region of the Americas Collaborate to Save Lives and Reduce Economic Losses by Cracking Down on Illicit Tobacco Trade 

Representatives from 35 countries are gathering in Montevideo, Uruguay on December 5, 2007 to work on knowledge-gathering and skill-sharing on the illicit trade of tobacco -- a global crime that contributes to higher rates of tobacco-related disease and death, helps finance criminal and terrorist groups, and robs governments of $US billions in revenue.

The December meeting of American Region delegates is a working conference to prepare for the upcoming meeting in Geneva in February 2008 when representatives of 151 countries will begin negotiations on the international protocol aimed at eliminating illicit tobacco trade. Combating illicit trade is a key provision of the world's first international public health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization.

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• Support for Uruguay's Tough Tobacco Controls / Apoyo Ciudadano para las Medidas Contra Tabaquismo en Uruguay 

In December the Public Health Ministry (Ministerio de Salud Pública - MSP) of Uruguay released the results of a survey regarding public attitudes about tobacco issues and the 2005 decree on smoking in enclosed public places such as bars, restaurants, schools, discotheques, shopping malls, casinos, etc. (only in effect since March 2006). The survey, sponsored in part by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), shows substantial public understanding in Uruguay of the health risks associated with smoking and acceptance of the decree and its enforcement, despite lingering doubts about its effectiveness in getting smokers to quit or cut down on smoking.

The public smoking decree was part of a package of measures taken in 2005 in the name of implementing Uruguay' commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Convention (FCTC). In May 2006 the President sent a draft law to parliament to codify the measures (laws are far more difficult to amend or repeal than are decrees).

The survey is unusual for several reasons. First, most PAHO-sponsored tobacco-related studies have tended to be historical — they study past trends, not current opinion. I hope this is not the last such study of existing and/or proposed LAC tobacco control measures — public health policies that have a better grasp of the public's understanding of the issues and acceptance/rejection of policy responses is always desirable.

Second, this is the first LAC poll I know of (if there are others I can be shown, I would be happy to be corrected) to look at implementation/enforcement of a specific national tobacco control measure — and more importantly, to be publicized by the government. This may be because the results favored the government's regulations, but be that as it may, I applaud the transparency and would urge other LAC governments to do likewise if they undertake such attitudinal studies, whether the results favor the government or not.

Third, frankly, the survey results themselves were eye-opening. Many LAC governments have justified reluctance or slowness to take tough action against tobacco products on the lack of public support for such measures. Is this because President Tabaré Vázquez, an oncologist, has made the case for tough tobacco controls more effectively than other LAC leaders? Or could it be that other LAC governments have under-estimated public acceptance of such measures? Probably only more surveys of this nature elsewhere in the region will answer that. . . .

This first graphic (click to enlarge) examines how convinced the Uruguayan public is about the health risks of tobacco.

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• In Uruguay, the President Also Reads Mammograms  

Only rarely do Dr. Vázquez’s two worlds converge. He found time on a state visit to Italy last year to address a congress of oncologists. And in March, as the result of a presidential decree, Uruguay became the first country in the Americas to prohibit smoking in all indoor public spaces.

“The point is to diminish the number of deaths from cancer” and reduce demands on the health system, he said. “By 2020 more people will be dying from cancer in underdeveloped countries than the developed world, unless we start with intelligent policies on tobacco, chemical products and the like.”

Though initially criticized by restaurants, bars and casinos, the measure has been grudgingly accepted by Uruguayans. But that has not prevented a small joke from circulating here: “Thank goodness Tabaré is an oncologist and not a sexologist.”

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• President wins ban on puffing in public 

Uruguayans are saying "adios" to tobacco smoke in workplaces, shopping malls and many other enclosed public spaces because of a new law promoted by a local cancer specialist -- who also happens to be the nation's president.

The law, which went into effect last week, aims to reshape the habits of as many as 1 million smokers in this small South American nation and penalizes lighting up in offices, shops, restaurants and other indoor areas.

Leftist President Tabaré Vázquez, a practicing oncologist who saw patients even as he took office, had pushed for the law. Its implementation coincides with the first anniversary of his taking office.

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Uruguay leads South American campaign against smokers 

Heber(2ndL), owner of a pub in Montevideo, indicates to his costumers that a smoking ban in public places has come into force. Uruguay is the first country in Latin America and the fifth worldwide to totally ban smoking in all workspaces and enclosed public spaces.

Uruguay became the first country in South America to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces, forcing cigarette lovers to take their habit onto the streets.

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Puerto Rico, Utah, Uruguay Join Growing Movement for Smoke-Free Air 

Across the United States and around the world, there is growing momentum to protect the public’s right to breathe clean air, free from the proven dangers of secondhand smoke. Just this week, Puerto Rico, Utah and Uruguay have enacted or implemented strong smoke-free workplace laws that include restaurants and bars. Today in Puerto Rico, Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila signed one of the strongest smoke-free workplace laws in the United States. On Wednesday, the Utah Legislature approved legislation extending that state’s already strong smoke-free law to bars and private clubs. Also on Wednesday, Uruguay implemented the strongest smoke-free law in Latin America, covering indoor workplaces and public places including restaurants and bars.

These actions are driven by the strong public support for smoke-free environments and the overwhelming evidence that smoke-free laws protect health without harming business. Secondhand smoke isn’t just annoying, but a proven cause of lung cancer, heart disease and other serious health hazards. . . .

It’s time for every state and community in the country to protect the public’s right to breathe clean air.

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• Public Smoking Ban Takes Effect in Uruguay 

Uruguayans are saying "adios" to tobacco smoke in the workplace, shopping malls and many other enclosed public spaces, thanks to a new law promoted by a local cancer specialist _ who also happens to be the nation's president.

The law, which went into effect Wednesday, aims to reshape the habits of as many as 1 million smokers in this small South American nation and penalizes lighting up in offices, shops, restaurants and other indoor areas.

Leftist President Tabare Vazquez, a practicing oncologist who saw patients even as he took office, had pushed for the law. Its implementation coincides with the first anniversary of his taking office.

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• Uruguay smoking ban toughest in Latin America 

Uruguay imposed a ban on smoking in public spaces on Wednesday, the stiffest restrictions on smoking in Latin America.

President Tabare Vazquez, a practicing oncologist, was the impetus behind the government-decreed measure, which is among the world's toughest and is similar to bans already in place in Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Spain.

The ban prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places, from bars and restaurants to office buildings and shopping malls. The government says smoking causes 5,500 tobacco-related deaths a year. About 1 million of Uruguay's 3.2 million people smokes.

Workers spilled out on the streets during their lunch hour on Wednesday, many puffing away on local Nevada brand cigarettes and lamenting the new regulations in this tiny South American nation. . . .

Cuba imposed a smoking ban in most public places last year, but the measure has not been seriously enforced on the island famed for its fine cigars.

In Buenos Aires, across the River Plate from Uruguay, the first phase of an anti-smoking law also took effect on Wednesday, barring people from smoking in municipal government buildings.

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• Uruguay curbs smoking in public 

Uruguay has become the first country in South America to ban smoking in enclosed public places.

The ban came into effect at midnight local time (0300 GMT).

Now bars, restaurants or offices where people are caught smoking will face fines of more than $1,100 (£630) or a three-day closure.

The ban was decreed by President Tabare Vazquez, who is a cancer specialist. . . .

President Vazquez said: "Passive smoking is also linked to chronic disease and premature deaths. Since there's not a secure level of exposition, the best thing to do is to ban cigarettes in enclosed places."

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Passive smoking is also linked to chronic disease and premature deaths. Since there's not a secure level of exposition, the best thing to do is to ban cigarettes in enclosed places.
Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez.

Uruguay coach Fossati discharged, vows to stop smoking 

Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati promised to stop smoking on Friday after being discharged from hospital where he had been kept for two nights after suffering chest pains.

Fossati, who chain-smokes during matches, added that his battle against cigarettes would be more difficult than beating Colombia in next month's World Cup qualifier.

"I will carry on with a normal life with the recommendation that one day I have to stop smoking, which was something I already knew," Fossati told reporters.

Asked whether giving up smoking or beating Colombia would be more difficult, the 52-year-old former goalkeeper replied: "Stopping smoking."

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BAT closes cigarettes plant 

BAT (British American Tobacco) has closed down a cigarettes plant set up in 1997 and began imports and distribution of its tobacco blends from Argentina and Chile. Currently it has only 25 employees. The Uruguayan cigarettes market is cornered by Tabacos Monte Paz (Philip Morris) that has a 70% share, Abal with 20%, and BAT with only 10% of it.

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• Uruguayan tobacco company under investigation 

Souza Cruz, the Brazilian subsidiary of British American Tobacco, has taken legal action against Compania Industrial de Tabacos Monte Paz SA, the Uruguayan tobacco company, for its alleged link with Brazilian cigarette smuggler Joao Celso Minosso.

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