Though a gazette notification has been passed in parliament with the government and opposition unanimously voting in favor of at least 80 percent of a cigarette pack carrying pictorial warnings against smoking, it is not necessary to carry this out at the moment since there is a Supreme Court ruling in this regard, states the Ceylon Tobacco Company.
Ceylon Tobacco Company has informed the Colombo Stock Exchange regarding this issue.
The proposal that cigarette packs should carry pictorial warnings on at least 80 percent of its covering was introduced in parliament by Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena in accordance with the provisions of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act.
However, Ceylon Tobacco Company stated that since the Supreme Court had issued an interim injunction over this issue on 20 September 2013, there is no necessity to implement this though the gazette notification has been passed by parliament.
Hence, there is no necessity to carry such pictorial warnings on the cigarette packs marketed by the company, stated Ceylon Tobacco Company.
It has added that under these circumstances Ceylon Tobacco Company would continue to market its cigarettes in the existing packaging sans the pictorial warnings.