Kazakhstan

The Law on People's Health and Health Care, Art. 159, requires picture and text warnings to occupy 40% of each of the principal display areas of tobacco product packaging. Ministry of Health Order 442 requires that the warnings be located at the top of the pack, in Kazakh on the front and in Russian on the back. The 12 authorized warnings must be rotated so that they appear on an equal number of packs during a calendar year.

After November 15, 2017, warnings must comply with EEC Decision No. 18, which requires pictorial warnings to occupy 50% of the front and back of the tobacco product package. The nine authorized pictorial warnings each have one or two words printed across the picture that describe the image, for example, "heart attack" printed across a picture of a heart. There is no other required text for the warning. Each of the nine authorized warnings must be applied to an equal number of tobacco packages. A descriptive warning on constituents and emissions must occupy 17% of one side of the pack.

The current law aligns with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines in that warnings must occupy 40% of more of the pack and contain pictures. The law will more fully comply with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines after November 15, 2017, in that warnings will then occupy 50% or more of the tobacco product package. However, to fully align with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines, future warnings should detail the health effects caused by tobacco consumption instead of merely identifying the disease or harm pictured.

The Law on People's Health and Health Care, Art. 159, requires picture and text warnings to occupy 40% of each of the principal display areas of tobacco product packaging. Ministry of Health Order 442 requires that the warnings be located at the top of the pack, in Kazakh on the front and in Russian on the back. The 12 authorized warnings must be rotated so that they appear on an equal number of packs during a calendar year.

The authorized warnings are specific to smoking and do not pertain to smokeless tobacco products. Although smokeless tobacco use is rare in Kazakhstan, it does exist. Therefore, to align with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines, the law should require warnings specific to smokeless tobacco to be placed on all smokeless tobacco products.