Reasons Why Healthcare Committee Disfavoured Changes to be Taken in Law on Tobacco

Healthcare Committee of Parliament disfavoured legislative proposals prepared by BAG in law on tobacco control. 

As it is known, the association BAG requested making an exception for a.k.a heated tobacco. As BAG considers, a similar product must not be regulated as traditional tobacco product is controlled. Simultaneously, tobacco should be visibly seen on shop counters.

As an argument, association exemplified several countries, where exceptions are made on heated tobacco. 

The committee dismissed marked out argument and replied, that the principles of legislative proposal manifested by Business Association of Georgia were incomprehensible and gave exceptional, privileged status to mail-order and internet retailing, personal communication, popularization and network marketing of tobacco's new products and unheated tobacco realization and/or dispositioning. According to them, above-mentioned process opposes the politics of tobacco control successfully implemented in Georgia.

The committee states, that the country has 96% index of legislation reform implementing, with the exemplary amount of supporters being adopted. 

"86% of our inhabitants express satisfaction towards this reform, which is confirmed by NDI, and IRI. In the field of control on tobacco, Georgia's law on tobacco control is considered as one of the new generational effective laws by authoritative organizations in the field of consuming, advertising, popularizing and limiting the sponsorship of electro cigarettes and unheated tobacco.", is noted in the announcement of the committee.

The committee also mentioned that it has communication with the commission secretariate of WHO and its experts do not give any recommendations about necessary communications in the field of tobacco's new products marketing and other additional regulations.