site.bta President Urges Parliament to Establish Rules for All Products for Smoking

President Urges Parliament to Establish Rules for All Products for Smoking

Sofia, April 7 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev decreed the promulgation of the latest amendments to the Tobacco and Tobacco Products Act which transpose more rigorous requirements from the EU Tobacco Products Directive into national legislation, the President's Press Secretariat said on Thursday.

Plevneliev fully supported the lawmakers' desire to eliminate any doubt in the public that the newly established regulations on herbal products for smoking may run counter to the Control of Narcotic Substances and Precursors Act and legalize narcotic substances. The EU Tobacco Products Directive by no means allows the use of narcotic substances - on the contrary, it is aimed to provide better guarantees for human health, the press release said.

The decision of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to establish Community rules about herbal products for smoking was motivated by the understanding that these products, too, pose health hazards, although they could be viewed as harmless of less harmful because there is no tobacco in them, the President reasoned. He drew the lawmakers' attention to the fact that the lack of a Bulgarian legal ban on the sale of such products in kindergartens and schools and to under-18 individuals, and the lack of a requirement to print health warnings on their packaging similar to the warnings on cigarette boxes, create conditions for their uncontrollable distribution. This will inevitably entail negative consequences for human health, especially for the health of children and adolescents, he said.

Plevneliev called on the National Assembly to create legal mechanisms, in keeping with the EU Tobacco Products Directive and within the timeframe established by the directive, which will remove, to the maximum extent possible, the health hazards associated with all products for smoking. He expects this to be accomplished after a broad public debate which will eliminate any doubt that herbal products for smoking may contain narcotic substances.