INTERNATIONAL LAW
Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control (FCTC)
World Health Organisation treaty to address all areas of tobacco
impacts. Australia has ratified it, among
hundreds of countries. We have obligations including 100% smokefree
workplaces, comprehensively banning all tobacco advertising and
promotion through all media, and resisting tobacco industry interference
in policy-making. See
implementation guide
and summary
AUSTRALIAN LAW
Australian
federal
and state legislation on tobacco
Full chart summarising Commonwealth, state and territory laws on
tobacco, as at March 2008. From the Commonwealth Department of
Health and Aging.
See our homepage
for specific areas of legislation
- e.g. smokefree workplaces (below), and under TAKING ACTION: protecting
children, smokefree places, smoking and fires.
Legislation on SMOKEFREE WORKPLACES:
See SmokeFree
Australia webpage with chart of current state/territory laws and
relevant links.
Legislation on PROTECTING CHILDREN
FROM TOBACCO:
See latest
steps taken by governments to:
- put tobacco out of sight in shops;
- prevent children buying or selling
it;
- license its dealers;
- ban or restrict tobacco sales at
youth events or from vending
machines;
- make crowded public places
frequented by children smokefree; and
- make cars
carrying children smokefree.
Compliance enforcement guidelines
Trying to draft good anti-tobacco laws, ensure maximum compliance with
them, or improve weak legislation so it's more enforceable? See this
guide to the basics by Healthbridge called Enforcement
of tobacco control law
NEWS
US
tobacco control bill passes
2009: The US House of
Representatives has given overwhelming final approval to a bill granting
the Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over tobacco.
This long-awaited bill now goes to President Obama to sign it into law.
See US
Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids statement
Tobacco's
heartland moves towards smokefree bars, restaurants
2009: The US state that launched the tobacco industry moved closer
to making its bars and restaurants smokefree - at least
indoors. The Virginia legislature passed a bill tightly restricting smoking in restaurants. 23 other states and Puerto Rico
had at this point passed bans on smoking indoors at bars and restaurants. See
Richmond,
Virginia Times-Despatch report 20/2/09
Canada
and 20+ US states
mandate reduced fire risk cigarettes
2009: Reduced fire risk cigarette
standards are law in Canada and at least than 22 US states - with laws
pending in a further 15 states. See the situation of legislation in North America at
www.firesafecigarettes.org
In New York state, this has led to fewer deaths from fires.
See
ABC (US) news
story 20/9/05 Australia
has now followed suit: see
our webpage on fighting
fires caused by cigarettes
Victoria
beefs up evidence laws after McCabe case
2005: The Victorian Government promised to introduce new laws outlawing
intentional destruction of documents to prevent them being used as
evidence in
court. This followed the Rolah McCabe case, where a terminal lung
cancer victim unsuccessfully sued tobacco giant BAT. ABC
News online 9/11/05
See this case in Tobacco
litigation
Internet
sales to minors show Tobacco Act needs tightening
2005: A website operation selling cheap cigarettes shows the urgent
need to tighten Australia’s Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act.
Melbourne-based Ancient Egypt Australia, operating legally under a
loophole in the TAP Act, is reportedly selling cut-priced cigarettes without requesting proof of
age. See Sunday
Telegraph, Sydney, 1/5/05
Health
groups have called for the website to be shut down. They also want the
TAP Act reviewed - as at April 2010, we're still waiting for this.
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