[Intl-tobacco] UK: Tough new fines proposed for tobacco ads (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

Tough new fines proposed for tobacco ads
by Claire Cozens
Source: The Guardian, Monday, 12/18/00

Advertisers who flout a ban on tobacco advertising will face fines of up
to £5,000 and even imprisonment under tough new laws proposed by the
government.

The measures form part of the Tobacco Advertising & Promotion bill, which
will have its second reading in the Commons in January as ministers try to
push through a ban on tobacco advertising before a general election next
year.

Under the proposed legislation, anyone involved in tobacco advertising
will face a sentence of up to three months and a maximum fine of £5,000.

Ads on the internet will also be outlawed, although the government will
not be able to enforce a ban on foreign websites carrying tobacco
advertising that can be accessed in the UK.

Plans for a UK ban on tobacco advertising were unveiled in the Queen's
Speech earlier this month.

The government decided to introduce measures of its own after a surprise
judgement two months ago by the European Court of Justice that a planned
EU-wide ban on tobacco advertising was illegal.

The court ruled that the issue of whether to ban cigarette ads should
instead be decided by individual member states.