World No Tobacco Day 2016

May 31 each year is designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World No Tobacco Day so as to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce consumption. The theme for this year is: get ready for plain packaging.

Plain packaging reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products, restricts use of tobacco packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion, limits misleading packaging and labelling, and increases the effectiveness of health warnings. Therefore, plain packaging is a significant demand reduction measure.

WHO encourages Member States to work towards plain packaging in a step-wise approach by strengthening packaging and labelling measures and restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

The Government proposes amendments to renew the set of pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packets and retail containers as well as increase the size and number of types of such health warnings. We will continue to adopt a progressive and multi-pronged approach of tobacco control policy, in order to move towards a smoke-free society.