Georgia

The Law on Broadcasting prohibits advertising of tobacco products, tobacco accessories and tobacco devices. Therefore, tobacco advertising on domestic TV and radio is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion on domestic broadcast media.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions, including printed material intended exclusively for industry representatives.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic newspapers and magazines.

The law prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions, including printed material intended exclusively for industry representatives.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion in other domestic print media.

The Law on Broadcasting prohibits advertising of tobacco products, tobacco accessories and tobacco devices. However, because the law does not explicitly address international TV and radio, the regulatory status code "Uncertain" is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should expressly prohibit tobacco advertising and promotion via international or cross-border TV and radio.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions, including printed material intended exclusively for industry representatives. However, because the law does not explicitly address international newspapers and magazines, the regulatory status code "Uncertain" is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should expressly prohibit tobacco advertising and promotion via international newspapers and magazines.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions, including electronic material intended exclusively for industry representatives. Therefore, the law is interpreted as prohibiting all tobacco advertising via the internet.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to internet communications.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions that do not include outdoor advertising.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion on outdoor advertising.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions that do not apply to points of sale. Therefore, the law is interpreted as prohibiting all point of sale advertising.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to point of sale advertising.

The law prohibits the display of tobacco products inside shops, with an exception provided for duty-free zones at airports. As a result of this exception, the regulatory status code “Some Restrictions” is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit point of sale product display in all shops.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions that do not apply to conventional mail. In addition, the Law on Tobacco Control prohibits “promotional materials intended for an individual,” which could include promotional materials sent via mail. Therefore, the law is interpreted as prohibiting tobacco advertising and promotion through conventional mail.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion via conventional mail.

The law specifically prohibits telemarketing.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion via telephone and cellular phone.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions that do not apply to brand marking.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand marking.

The law prohibits the free distribution of tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines and meets FCTC Art. 16 with respect to the free distribution of tobacco products.

The law prohibits promoting tobacco products in any form, including through a give-away, drawing, lottery, game, or coupon. In addition, under the Law on Lotteries, Gambling and Betting Games, it is prohibited to use tobacco products as prizes in lotteries and to give them out through lotteries, gambling, or betting games.

Taken together, these provisions are interpreted as banning promotions with a tobacco product purchase.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to promotions with a purchase of tobacco products.

The law prohibits promoting tobacco products in any form, including participating in an event, lottery, etc. that uses tobacco products. The law is interpreted as banning competitions associated with tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to competitions associated with tobacco products.

The law prohibits tobacco promotion through direct personal communications or network marketing.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to direct person to person tobacco advertising.

The Law on Advertising prohibits any type of advertising for tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices with a few exceptions that do not apply to brand stretching/trademark diversification. In addition, the Law on Tobacco Control prohibits brand expansion, defined as the association of a tobacco product brand, trademark, emblem, logo, or other distinctive mark with a non-tobacco product or service.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand stretching/trademark diversification.

The law broadly prohibits "any type of advertisement for tobacco products," except material developed exclusively for industry representatives. "Advertisement" includes "information about goods, services, and works…disseminated by any means and form…." It is unclear whether reverse brand stretching would be considered a form of advertising under the law. Therefore, the regulatory status "Uncertain" is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit reverse brand stretching. In addition, the law should contain a definition of "tobacco advertising and promotion" that aligns with the definition provided in the FCTC.

The law prohibits selling or distributing toys, sweets or other products that are not tobacco products but are illustrations, simulations or imitations of tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to toys that resemble tobacco products.

The law prohibits selling or distributing toys, sweets or other products that are not tobacco products but are illustrations, simulations or imitations of tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to candy that resembles tobacco products.

The law specifically prohibits payments or rewards to retailers intended to motivate them to sell more tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to retailer incentives.

The Law on Broadcasting prohibits advertising of tobacco products, tobacco accessories, and tobacco devices. Additionally, the Law on Tobacco Control specifically prohibits depicting smoking or other forms of its use in the mass media except if a smoker appears unintentionally during a live broadcast.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film, and other media.

The Law on Tobacco Control specifically prohibits depicting smoking or other forms of its use in the mass media except if a smoker appears unintentionally during a live broadcast.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in TV, film, and other media.

The law prohibits direct and indirect sponsorship of tobacco products by manufacturers, importers, and retailers from sponsoring events, activities, individuals, organizations or governments. However, the definition of “sponsorship” is limited to those contributions made in exchange for the advertising of goods manufactured by the sponsor. Therefore, contributions not made in exchange for advertising, such as so-called “corporate social responsibility” donations, are allowed.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco industry sponsorship. In addition, the law should contain a definition of "tobacco sponsorship" in accordance with the definition provided by the FCTC.

The law prohibits direct and indirect sponsorship of tobacco product manufacturers, importers, and retailers from sponsoring events, activities, individuals, organizations or governments. However, the definition of “sponsorship” is limited to those contributions made in exchange for the advertising of goods manufactured by the sponsor. Therefore, contributions not made in exchange for advertising, such as so-called “corporate social responsibility” donations, are allowed. While publicity in the form of advertising for the product is not allowed, there do not appear to be restrictions on publicizing donations not made in exchange for advertising. As a result, the regulatory status code “Some Restrictions” is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco sponsorship and publicity thereof

The law prohibits tobacco products from containing any names, labeling, or packaging that contains false, or misleading information or information creating a false impression about the product’s properties, substance, or harmful effects. It also bans the use of language that implies that one tobacco product is less harmful than other tobacco products. The law also bans any “word, abbreviation, sign, image, chart or a number” used in any language “which will create directly or indirectly a false impression that the given product is less harmful compared with the other products.” The law further bans the use of misleading words in brand or trade names, and gives examples of such words as “light”, “mild”, “less intensive”, “ultra-light”, “low tar”, “extra”, “ultra”, and “menthol.” While many forms of direct and indirect tobacco advertising are prohibited, the Law on Advertising also contains a provision prohibiting all “improper advertisements,” which is defined to include “unfair, unreliable, unethical, [and] misleading” advertisements.

Taken together, these provisions are interpreted as prohibiting all misleading advertising and promotion.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to promotion by means that are false, misleading, or deceptive.