PRODUCTS other than cigarettes produced by tobacco companies should be subject to health warnings, it was claimed yesterday.
As the Government moves towards tougher restrictions on tobacco, including a ban on cigarette sales to under 18s, legislator Dr Huang Chen-ya said it should also crack down on firms diversifying into other products.
Dunhill is well-known for its leather goods and men's toiletries, Marlboro has its own menswear under the brand Marlboro Classics, while Kent and Mild Seven have moved into tourism.
Dr Huang, a United Democrat, told a health services panel meeting that by making health warnings mandatory on all billboards carrying cigarette trademarks, tobacco companies could be discouraged from promoting cigarettes under the guise of other products.
Panel convenor Dr Leong Che-hung also criticised the Government for allowing tobacco firms to promote cigarette sales under different products while it officially discouraged smoking.
But the Assistant Secretary for Health and Welfare, Derek Gould, said it was difficult to control these kinds of advertising and sponsorship.
