- News>
- World
Britain to extinguish tobacco advertising
London, Oct 22: Tobacco advertising in Britain may be banned by the end of the year, with the parliament paving the way. The government believes that the move would save thousands of lives and millions of pounds of public health spending.
London, Oct 22: Tobacco advertising in Britain may be banned by the end of the year, with the parliament paving the way. The government believes that the move would save thousands of lives and millions of pounds of public health spending.
Late yesterday, the House of Commons gave an unopposed final reading of the tobacco advertising and promotion Bill. With only royal assent awaited, Queen Elizabeth II is expected to formally sanction the law.
With the new legislation, advertising of tobacco products will be banned in the press, on the internet and poster sites. On television, the ban is already in effect.
Mailshots, coupons and free distribution of cigarettes promoting smoking, will also be prohibited.
Sponsoring sporting events will also be stopped for tobacco companies. However, global sporting events like Formula 1 racing and snooker, that depend heavily on tobacco advertising, are expected to be exempted until 2006, to find alternative sources of funding.
By 2003, sponsorship of British sporting events will cease.
The government believes that the ban will save 3,000 lives a year, a tiny fraction of the 120,000 Britons estimated to die of smoking-related illnesses every 12 months.
Branding them “needless deaths caused by an industry hiding the truth from consumers”, was Junior Health Minister Hazel Blears, following parliament’s backing of the bill.
The government estimates that a ban will cut public health spending by 340 million pounds per year. It hopes to receive the royal assent before the parliament’s session ends next month.
Introduced privately into parliament by a member of the Upper House of Lords, the bill would have had little chance of success had it not been for the government’s support.
Bureau Report
Sponsoring sporting events will also be stopped for tobacco companies. However, global sporting events like Formula 1 racing and snooker, that depend heavily on tobacco advertising, are expected to be exempted until 2006, to find alternative sources of funding.
By 2003, sponsorship of British sporting events will cease.
The government believes that the ban will save 3,000 lives a year, a tiny fraction of the 120,000 Britons estimated to die of smoking-related illnesses every 12 months.
Branding them “needless deaths caused by an industry hiding the truth from consumers”, was Junior Health Minister Hazel Blears, following parliament’s backing of the bill.
The government estimates that a ban will cut public health spending by 340 million pounds per year. It hopes to receive the royal assent before the parliament’s session ends next month.
Introduced privately into parliament by a member of the Upper House of Lords, the bill would have had little chance of success had it not been for the government’s support.
Bureau Report