Cigarette packs must contain pictorial warning

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court ordered the Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) to include 60% pictorial warnings on cigarette packets released into the market from January 01, 2015.

The verdict was delivered by a judge when the Fundamental Rights petition filed by the CTC against the pictorial warnings was taken up for hearing.

The recent Appeal Court order that 60 per cent of the exterior of each cigarette pack should carry printed pictorial warnings was to be implemented by July 1 this year.

However, the Ceylon Tobacco Company has said that cigarettes would be released to the market in the current packing without the pictorial warnings till the Supreme Court gives its decision.