Jump to full article: The Independent Online (IOL) (za), 2009-05-25
Author: Sipokazi Maposa
Intro: The national Health Department is studying samples of graphic tobacco-use warnings from a number of countries, including Brazil and Thailand, which are expected to appear on cigarette packs here, but no date has been set.
South Africa's diverse cultures and religions needed to considered carefully first, said departmental spokesperson Fidel Hadebe.
While the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill was signed into law recently, there was still a need to ensure that these images were not "culturally or religiously insensitive" to South African consumers, Hadebe said. There have been high hopes that the new law would take effect on Sunday, World No Tobacco Day. . . .
He added that they believed some of the samples provided might be too distasteful for most South Africans.
This was because the warnings tied smoking to, among other things, penile and cervical cancer.
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