The Clean Air Alliance yesterday called on the public to join a protest in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei today against tobacco regulations that benefit cigarette manufacturers.
Police said traffic restrictions would be in place in the area.
Heated tobacco products might help reduce secondhand smoke, but they still cannot be sold legally, despite it being a full year since the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) was amended, while 14 new types of traditional paper-wrapped cigarettes have been approved for sale, the alliance said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Department of Health
The review standards for heated and traditional cigarettes were disparate and unfair toward heated tobacco products, benefiting cigarette manufacturers, it said.
Police said that organizers had submitted a schedule showing that they are to gather at 9am, set out at 10am and finish at noon.
Traffic restrictions for Ketegalan Boulevard are to include three westbound lanes, including Zhongshan S Road to Gongyuan Road, police said.
Restrictions might be in place before the start time, depending on traffic conditions, they said.
Separately yesterday, the Taiwan Anti-smoking Alliance said that the government should step up efforts to curb online sales of electronic cigarettes and focus on stopping imports at source.
The government should curb cigarettes in schools to achieve its total ban on smoking on campuses, the group said.
A rule requiring that warning labels cover 50 percent of cigarette packaging, which took effect today, is an improvement, but more work is needed, as Taiwan only ranks 16th in the world in terms of warning label coverage, down from fourth previously, it said.
National Alliance of Presidents of Parents’ Associations deputy director-general Chiao Hui-fang (焦惠芳) said that regulations for heated tobacco products fail to ban the 10 most popular flavors, showing that the rules do not meet global standards.
Common Good Association secretary-general Chang Wen-chang (張文昌) said that few venues have complied with the amended act’s demand that restaurants, bars and nightclubs ban smoking entirely.
The government must reinforce the policy, Chang said.
Taiwan Medical Alliance for the Control of Tobacco secretary-general Kuo Fei-jan (郭斐然) said there is evidence that transitioning from traditional to heated products does not mitigate health risks.
Action Alliance on Basic Education chairman Wang Han-yang (王瀚陽) said that heated tobacco products are not authorized in Taiwan and urged the government to increase penalties for distributors that promote such products.
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