MEXICO CITY (proceso.com.mx).– The new General Law for Tobacco Control entered into force this Sunday, January 15, and there will be new rules for the sale and consumption of tobacco in the country. Here we tell you which ones.
The law prohibits all types of cigarette , as well as its display, promotion and sponsorship through any means of communication and dissemination, including direct and indirect display at points of sale, so stores must hide them from public view and have a list of names and prices to inform those who want to buy them.
To protect the health of the population and infants, tobacco-free spaces and new signs were expanded to indicate where smoking is permitted or prohibited.
Smoking is prohibited in workplaces, public transport, schools, venues where shows are held, hotels, stadiums, shopping malls, beaches, parks or places where there are girls, boys and adolescents, as well as places with the legend: “Free space smoke” and restaurants will no longer be able to offer smoking spaces.
Compliance with the standard will be carried out by the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris). In case you want to report any irregularity, it made the number 800 033 5050 available to the public.
The Ministry of Health hopes that this measure will prevent 49 thousand premature deaths and 292 thousand new cases of diseases associated with smoking in the next 10 years with the denormalization of tobacco.
And that savings are also generated for the treasury for more than 155 billion pesos annually. Currently, in Mexico, health care expenses attributable to smoking are estimated at more than 116 billion pesos per year.
On December 16, the law was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) and it was established that Mexico is the fifth country in the Americas to prohibit the display of tobacco products at points of sale, as a public health measure.