Cigarette Stick Health Warnings Bill [HL]

1 Appearance of cigarette sticks and rolling papers

(1)

No person may produce or supply a cigarette stick or rolling paper for smoking
unless it complies with this Act.

(2)

The only colour or shade permitted on or for the paper, casing, filter or other
material forming part of a cigarette (apart from the tobacco contained in it)
is plain white with a matt finish.

(3)

No person may produce or supply a cigarette stick unless the stick carries one
of the text warnings set out in the Schedule, subject to the following
conditions—

(a)

that the text appears lengthways on the cigarette and covers the whole
length of the cigarette,

(b)

that the text is printed in Helvetica type,

(c)

that the colour of the text is red,

(d)

that the text is in a normal, weighted, regular typeface, and

(e)

that the text is in a font size which ensures that the text occupies the
greatest possible proportion of the surface area reserved for it.

(4)

The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument
amend or make provision about the conditions under subsection (3) or the
text warnings specified in the Schedule .

2 Range and rotation of health warnings on cigarette sticks and rolling papers

(1)

A producer of a tobacco product for smoking (other than an importer) must
select the warning used for the purposes of this Act—

(a)

from the set of warnings which is specified in the Schedule for the
production year during which the pack is produced; and

(b)

so that each of the warnings appears on a specified proportion of the
total number of packs under each brand name produced by that
producer within that production year.

(2)

The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument
specify the proportion mentioned in subsection (1) (b) .

3 Offences, defence, penalties and enforcement

(1)

A person is guilty of an offence if that person breaches a provision of section
1 or 2 of this Act.

(2)

In any proceedings for an offence under this Act brought against a person
who produces or supplies cigarette sticks or rolling papers in breach of section
1 or 2 it is a defence that the person exercised all due diligence to avoid
committing the offence.

(3)

A person guilty of an offence under this Act is liable—

(a)

on summary conviction—

(i)

in England and Wales to imprisonment for a term not exceeding
three months, or a fine, or both, or

(ii)

in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve
months, or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale,
or both, or

(b)

on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding
2 years, or a fine, or both.

(4)

It is the duty of each weights and measures authority in Great Britain to
enforce this Act within their area.

(5)

For the purposes of subsection (4) , the provisions of part 2, 4 and 5
(enforcement) of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 (“the 1987 Act”), except
for sections 12, 13 and 27, are to apply to this Act as if—

(a)

this Act were safety regulations within the meaning of that Act; and

(b)

the persons on whom functions are conferred by this Act were
enforcement authorities within the meaning of the 1987 Act.

(6)

The reference to six months in section 14(6) of the 1987 Act (imprisonment
on summary conviction not to exceed six months), as that section has effect
by virtue of subsection (4) , is to be read in its application to England and
Wales as a reference to three months.

4 Parliamentary procedure

A statutory instrument containing regulations under this Act may not be
made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before, and approved by
a resolution of, both Houses of Parliament.

5 Commencement, extent and short title

(1)

This section comes into force on the day on which this Act is passed.

(2)

Sections 1 to 4 come into force six months after the day on which this Act is
passed.

(3)

This Act extends to England and Wales and Scotland.

(4)

This Act may be cited as the Cigarette Stick Health Warnings Act 2021.

Schedule

Section 1

List of warnings to be used

1

The following warnings are to be used in rotation in accordance with section
2 .

2

Version 1—

Your minutes of life lost

15 ... 10 ... 5

From each cigarette smoked

3

Version 2—

Smoking causes lung cancer

Smoking causes heart disease

Smoking causes emphysema

4

Version 3—

Smoking one pack per day

Costs over £3,000 a year

What could you buy instead?

5

Version 4—

Smoking stains your teeth

Smoking gives you bad breath

Smoking yellows your teeth

6

Version 5—

See your pharmacist to quit

See your doctor to quit

Search NHS Smokefree for advice

7

Version 6—

You don’t need me anymore

You can stop now

Search NHS Smokefree for advice

8

Version 7—

Smoking harms your children

Smoking affects your pets

Smoking hurts your family

9

Version 8—

Smoking kills half of users

7 million people a year

And reduces quality of life