Limitations regarding the use of quotes
The quotes provided here reflect statements from a specific decision. Accordingly, the International Legal Consortium (ILC) cannot guarantee that an appellate court has not reversed a lower court decision which may influence the applicability or influence of a given quote. All quotes have been selected based on the subjective evaluations undertaken by the ILC meaning that quotes provided here may not accurately or comprehensively represent a given court’s opinion or conclusion, as such quotes may have originally appeared alongside other negative opinions or accompanying facts. Further, some quotes are derived from unofficial English translations, which may alter their original meaning. We emphasize the need to review the original decision and related decisions before authoritatively relying on quotes. Using quotes provided here should not be construed as legal advice and is not intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter in any jurisdiction. Please see the full limitations at https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/about.
Sociedad Uruguaya de Tabacología (SUT) challenged Decree No. 282/022, issued by the executive branch, that modified Decree No. 120/019, regulating the Plain Packaging Law of tobacco products. While an administrative tribunal (Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo) is considering the initial challenge, SUT also filed a rapid constitutional challenge, called an “amparo,” requesting suspension of the decree until the administrative challenge is decided. The amparo was filed in Family Court based on the Code for Children and Adolescents (CAN), which explains “the State has the obligation to especially protect children and adolescents from all forms of encouragement to tobacco consumption.” With regard to the amparo, the court decided in favor of SUT because the Decree fails to meet the objectives of the law that established plain packaging by not achieving the “plain” packaging design and labeling mandate. The Court concluded that any measures related to tobacco packaging, motivated by whatever reasons, must always consider the children and adolescents’ “best interest”, avoiding the violation of their rights to health, to a smoke-free environment and to a special protection from the encouragement of tobacco consumption.