The Portfolio Committee on Health in South Africa has held further public hearings on the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, with participants expressing mixed views, reports BusinessTech.
The new Bill was met with both support and vehement opposition, depending on the clauses being focused on.
Broadly, the Bill aims to introduce the following:
a. Indoor public places and certain outdoor areas will be determined to be 100% smoke-free.
a. Ban the sale of cigarettes through vending machines.
a. Plain packaging with graphic health warnings and pictorials.
a. Ban on display at point-of-sale; and
a. The regulation and control of electronic nicotine delivery systems and non-nicotine delivery systems.
The Committee conducted three public hearings in Limpopo at Polokwane, Louis Trichardt and Tzaneen. Like the public hearings in the North West, the reception to the Bill was mixed, with general concerns about the economic consequences of the Bill, the report said.