Paulina Quintao – Tobacco advertising has once again come under fire in Parliament.

Member of Parliament Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares said the Parliament passed resolutions in 2006 to restrict the advertising of tobacco and other drugs in Timor-Leste and was also a signatory to several such international conventions but still advertisements went unchecked.

She said youth were the primary target of the tobacco industry which promoted its products as enjoyable but deadly.

She appealed to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment (MCIA) to pay close attention to companies which flout advertising regulations as young people could be easily influenced.

Member of Parliament Virginia Ana Belo said there were no laws to regulate the sale of cigarettes or other drugs which are easily imported into Timor-Leste. She said the government may considering increasing the cost of such items.

Belo said cigarette advertising was pervasive in Timor-Leste, with banners visible in kiosks and other places frequented by children. The low cost of cigarettes also posed a problem, she said.

Health data from 2009 showed at the time, 36 per cent of Timorese males aged 15 to 29 smoke. Between the ages of 24 and 29, that figures jumped to 87 per cent. Smoking causes cancers of the lungs, throat and mouth as well as a host of other illnesses.

Minister of Commerce, Industry and Environment Antonio Concencao said cigarette companies were breaking the law in posting these advertisements as they did not pay tax to the government.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/12900-call-for-tobacco-advertising-regulations