The tobacco control bill tabled in the South African parliament last week is only the first of two pieces of anti-smoking legislation, the department of health confirmed on Thursday.

A second bill, which will introduce graphic health warnings on cigarette packets and pave the way for a ban on sales of fewer than twenty cigarettes at a time, was with the state law adviser waiting for certification, acting head of health promotion Kgwiti Mahlako said.
He hoped the second bill would also be tabled this year, but was unsure when it would be processed. Mahlako said the tabled bill and the one with the advisers launched previously were two halves of a proposed amendment to the Tobacco Products Control Act that was published for public comment in October 2003.
The amendment had been split because the department had been advised that part of it — the section tabled last week — should be dealt with in terms of section 75 of the constitution as a bill that did not affect provinces. That bill seeks to close loopholes in the law by widening the definition of terms such as 'public place' and 'tobacco product', and to regulate the chemicals added to tobacco products to disguise harsh tastes or make them more addictive.
It also proposes increases in penalties, and will raise the age limit for tobacco sales from 16 to 18 years and ban under-18s from designated smoking areas.
Among the issues the second bill would also deal with was advertising, he said. When the 2003 draft was published, the department said it would outlaw internet advertising and close other loopholes the industry had exploited to continue promoting tobacco, despite the general ban on tobacco advertising. (pi)