A ban on sales of loose cigarettes and tobacco advertising went into effect Thursday in Colombia, reports AFP.
Cigarettes can now only be sold in packets of ten or more and tobacco companies are no longer allowed to advertise, including on foreign TV channels broadcasting in the country.
All cigarette packets must also carry health warnings.
The clampdown is part of an anti-tobacco law approved by Congress in June 2009, following a ban on smoking in enclosed public places in May 2008. At least five million adults out of a population of some 46 million are regular smokers in Colombia, according to official estimates. (pi)
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