The Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on 5 February 2019, passed unanimously a new public health legislation on food and medicine administration. The new law covers tobacco products, and its relevant sections aim to protect the public from the devastating health, social, and economic consequences of tobacco products. The measures the law foresees to regulate tobacco products are considered among the strongest tobacco control legislations in Africa.

The Parliament of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on 5 February 2019, passed unanimously a new public health legislation on food and medicine administration. The new law covers tobacco products, and its relevant sections aim to protect the public from the devastating health, social, and economic consequences of tobacco products. The measures the law foresees to regulate tobacco products are considered among the strongest tobacco control legislations in Africa.

On 24 January 2019, the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko issued Decree No. 2 to amend two previous decrees in 2002 and 2007, regulating the production, trade and consumption of tobacco products. The decree was officially published on 26 January 2019 and the main provisions will come into force six months after the official publication.

On 29 January 2019, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination of Pakistan issued a Notification requiring the use of new pictorial health warning on cigarette packs from 1 June 2019. According to the notification, the new warning depicting the disease “Gangrene” will be printed on both sides of cigarette packs and outers, and the size of this new warning will be increased from 50% to 60%.

The Tobacco Control Amendment Act (No.4) was passed in Samoa on 31 January 2019. This new act brings amendments to the Tobacco Control Act of 2008 by introducing a few new elements that could strengthen implementation of the WHO FCTC.

As an effort to discourage tobacco consumption and reduce devastating health consequences, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan has approved new tobacco excise tax rates through the issue of Decision No. 5, the amendments to the Cabinet’s 2001 decision on excise tax. This decision will come into force on 10 February 2019.