La Paz, June 29, 2023 (ABI) – The Bolivian national government issued Supreme Decree 4972, which regulates Law 1280 on the Prevention and Control of the Use of Tobacco, and among its 14 articles it establishes the promotion and graphic signage in public and private places with the message: “100% Tobacco Smoke Free Environment”, reported the Ministry of Health.

“The graphic and written signage with the message “100% Tobacco Smoke Free Environment”, provided in the annex to this Supreme Decree, must be located in the places established in Paragraph I of Article 9 of Law 1280, in a visible and permanent manner, as established in article 2 (Signage) of the aforementioned decree, approved by the cabinet of ministers.

Law 1280 on the Prevention and Control of the Consumption of Tobacco Products, approved on February 13, 2020, prohibits smoking or keeping a tobacco product lit in closed public places, indoor workplaces, such such as health establishments, whether public or private, establishments of the Plurinational Educational System and in events of an educational nature, including closed and open environments; as well as 100 meters away from said establishments.

The regulatory decree also establishes the formation of the Inter-institutional Technical Commission of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which will be made up of the ministries of Health (in the lead), Education, Environment and Water, Economy and Public Finance; and Justice and Institutional Transparency.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the international body.  The WHO-FCTC is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of health.  Read the full story (in Spanish) here.