Georgia is launching a communication campaign to support the entry into force of the country’s new tobacco control law in May 2018. The campaign will contribute to building understanding of the new law among the general public and businesses, to promote compliance before its implementation.
Next generation tobacco control law
Passed in May 2017, the new legislation is considered one of the strongest tobacco control laws in the WHO European Region. This next generation tobacco control law includes the implementation of the following key provisions in 2018 and over the next few years:
- prohibition on smoking (including e-cigarettes and hookah) in all enclosed public places, enclosed workplaces and public vehicles;
- ban on advertisement, sponsorship and promotion of tobacco products;
- ban on tobacco point-of-sale and retail display;
- enforcement of health warnings covering 65% of smoking tobacco packaging and inclusion of an information leaflet with e-cigarettes;
- enforcement of plain packaging of tobacco products;
- protection of state tobacco control policy from interference by the tobacco industry and regulation of relations between the state and the industry;
- classification of e-cigarettes with nicotine as tobacco product;
- ban on retail sales of tobacco products via the internet, mail and drive-in tobacco points.
The new law is the result of work over several years by national and international partners, including WHO/Europe and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Key milestones along the way included the strengthening of the taxation system for tobacco in 2016 and the establishment of the Health Promotion and Prevention Board of the Parliamentary Health Care and Social Issues Committee, which coordinates the development and implementation of the consolidated action plan for law implementation.
Georgia’s ambitious target is to decrease tobacco use among people aged 18 years and older to 20% by 2030. In 2016, tobacco use among those aged 18 and over stood at 31%.
Get free from tobacco smoke!
Under the slogan “Get free from tobacco smoke!”, the campaign was launched at the Parliament on 28 February 2018, with key contributions from Dr Akaki Zoidze, Chairman of Georgia’s Parliamentary Health Care and Social Issues Committee; Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat; and David Sergeenko, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs.
In 2017, Georgia was selected for the FCTC 2030 project, funded by the Government of the United Kingdom. Of the 15 FCTC 2030 parties selected, 7 are classified as least developed countries, 6 as lower-middle income countries and 2 as upper-middle income countries, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Georgia is the only party from the WHO European Region. As part of the overall support, an investment case for tobacco control in Georgia has been made, which is the first such investment case globally.
The analysis initiated by the WHO FCTC Secretariat was completed in close collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WHO and national partners (i.e. the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health). It will be handed over to the national authorities during the visit of Dr da Costa e Silva, who is meeting several high-level officials during her visit to Georgia, including:
- Dr David Sergeenko
- Dr Akaki Zoidze
- Ms Nino Javakhadze, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
- Mr Mamuka Bakhtadze, Minister of Finance
- Mr Lasha Khutsishvili, Deputy Minister of Finance.