A new set of regulations on the marketing and consumption of tobacco products took effect in Mozambique last weekend.

As of Saturday, it became illegal to smoke in any public place, including all state institutions, restaurants, schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, train stations and all forms of public transport. Restaurants, bars, and other places of entertainment have the choice to provide an area for smokers that has to be separated by walls from the non-smoking areas. In addition, the area must occupy less than 25 per cent of the total area and it must be marked clearly as a smoking area. Ventilation must ensure that the smoke is channelled outside the building.
The new regulations also effectively outlaw all advertising for tobacco. On radio and television such a ban has already been in place; the new law also prohibits advertisements on the covers of publications, on billboards and posters, and on the walls of any public places. Tobacco companies are also prohibited from sponsoring sports events.
All cigarette packets must now carry visible health warnings in Portuguese, Mozambique's official language. The warnings have to occupy at least 30 per cent of the front of the packet and 25 per cent of the back.
The sale of tobacco products to people under 18 is banned, and any establishment with cigarette vending machines must ensure that they are not operated by minors. Businesses that sell cigarettes must display a prominent sign that under-18s cannot buy them. The shop owner or assistant can demand proof that the buyer is over 18.
The spokesperson for the Health Ministry, Martinho Djedje, regarded the new regulations as a first step to defend the public from the effects of tobacco. He said the Ministry has also submitted to the Cabinet a proposal to ratify the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control. (pi)