New rules for cigarettes. After the increases that came into force in April, the new rules on blondes established by the decree approved by the Council of Ministers in October 2015 take effect today for the purpose of transposing the EU directive relating to "legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions relating to the processing , the presentation and sale of tobacco products and related products".
Many innovations provided for by the new legislation, created in order to achieve the objective set by the 2014-2018 National Prevention Plan, which foresees a reduction in the number of smokers of at least 10% within the next two years. The law also complies with the directives of the World Health Organization which asks individual countries to reduce the percentage of cigarette and tobacco users by 30% by 2025.
The first major change will affect the appearance of cigarette and tobacco packs and packaging. 65% of their surface will be covered with photographs of hospitalized people and sick bodies, accompanied by texts with the words "smoking kills" etc. There is also a toll free number against smoking (800-554.088).
From today it will also be forbidden to sell additives that make tobacco more "attractive" and "more harmful". Furthermore, according to the decree, over the next four years there should no longer be any flavored cigarettes or tobacco on the market.
Another important novelty will concern goodbye to packs of 10 cigarettes and to tobacco packs containing a quantity of product of less than 30 grams.
Finally, from 20 May the new rules on the sale of electronic cigarettes: the sale to minors is prohibited and the obligation to comply with certain safety requirements, concerning. In fact, each product must be childproof, must be equipped with tools that make it impossible to tamper with and, in each box, contraindications, warnings and information on the harmful effects of smoking must be present. Each package will bear the phrase: “Product containing nicotine, a highly addictive substance. Use not recommended for non-smokers".
