The 12 September 2019 marks the entry into force date of the regulation on plain cigarette packaging in Thailand that was officially gazette on 14 December 2018. The law permits a 90-day phase-out period for old cigarette stocks, meaning that by 12 December 2019, all cigarettes in Thailand must be sold in brown-coloured packs with cigarette brand names printed in a standardised font type, size, colour, and location, without brand colours or logos.

The groundbreaking step of introducing plain packaging for all tobacco products has now been completed by Saudi Arabia. The regulation issued by the Food and Drug Authority has now entered into force. This policy makes Saudi Arabia the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean to pass such regulation, bringing it in line with the requirements of Article 11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its guidelines. Saudi Arabia is Party to the Convention since 9 May 2005.

Republic of Moldova passed amendments to the national tobacco control law 278/2007 (as amended in 2015) with primary aim to include ENDS, heated tobacco products and the devices used with such products, in the legislation.

Tobacco packs with design features have started to appear in stores in Maldives. It was this year’s World No Tobacco Day that marked in Maldives the entry into force of the new regulations on packaging and labelling of all tobacco products issued on 27 February 2019. The “Regulation on Packaging and Labeling Tobacco Products” was formulated by the Tobacco Control Board pursuant to the Tobacco Control Act 15/2010.

Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death in the world and it is no exception in Brazil. Every year 156,000 people are killed in the biggest country in South America (12.6% all national deaths), directly and indirectly costing the Brazilian healthcare system US$17 billion. However, the tobacco industry only pays a fraction of that amount, with a government revenue generated of US$ 3.5 billion in taxes.

As of 1st January 2020, Belgium will be joining the growing number of countries that have adopted plain packaging and therefore be the fifth one in Europe, after France, the UK, Norway and Ireland, to have initiated such measure. This new regulation not only apply to conventional cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, tobacco for waterpipes, but also to related products such as rolling paper, cigarette tubes and filters.