Tobacco.org

• "The new Tobacco Law is more than just a list of prohibited items" 

The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, promulgated changes to Law no. 19,419, to regulate tobacco advertising and sales. She stated that "the new Tobacco Law is more than just a list of prohibited items. It is a series of initiatives meant to protect people’s health, but it is also meant to promote respect among all of us—something very important for the kind of country, and society, that we want to build up."

The President signed yesterday this legislation at the Millantú Educational Complex, in the Santiago-area district of Macul, along with Health Minister María Soledad Barría, Education Minister Martín Zilic, and Labor Minister Osvaldo Andrade. Macul Mayor Sergio Puyol, Senator Jaime Naranjo and former Health Minister Pedro García were all present as well, and the President thanked them for their commitment to pushing the legislation through Congress.

During her speech, Bachelet highlighted the preventative aspects of the law, pointing out that it would allow for the distribution of more information about the harmful effects of tobacco. "This bill is about protecting people, and protecting their health," she said, adding that "the difference between smoking and not smoking has to do with the difference between a better future and a future full of problems." . . .

Later, the President stated that with this legal modification, "we are making our laws conform to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control," with regulations offering non-smokers better protection by guaranteeing smoke-free areas; providing more information about the effects of tobacco use; and efficiently controlling publicity, promotion and advertisements for tobacco products.

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