Cigarette graphics mandatory after January 1

• Image Credit: Supplied
• Cigarette packages that do not contain graphic health warnings will be banned from public sale in the UAE after January 1.

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Abu Dhabi: Cigarette packages that do not contain graphic health warnings will be banned from public sale in the United Arab Emirates after January 1 under new laws announced yesterday in Abu Dhabi.

In an announcement on Wednesday by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA), only cigarette packages emblazoned with mandatory graphic imagery of the hazards of smoking introduced earlier this year will be legally offered for sale in 2013.

Mohammad Saleh Badri, acting director general of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA), said no company is exempt from the rules.

“Esma has met with representatives of tobacco producers and emphasised to them the new standards and the government’s keenness to enforce it on time,” said a statement from Esma.