The government of the United Arab Emirates issued on March 29, 2007 resolution no. 10 of 2007 setting revised standards and requirements for cigarettes that are manufactured from tobacco and prepared by mechanical methods and which are imported and sold in the country. Basically, the revised standards and requirements are as follows:
1- Each cigarette must not contain more than 0.6 mg of nicotine and 10mg of tar, and must not produce over 12mg of carbon monoxide.
2- Cigarette packs must clearly display the following information:
– The trademark;
– The number of cigarettes, which must not exceed 20 cigarettes per pack;
– Name of producer or importer;
– Packaging date (month and year);
– Batch number;
– Nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide content in a cigarette smoke;
– The warning label “Smoking is the main cause for lung cancer and diseases and for heart and arteries diseases”. This label should be placed on the front panel of each cigarette pack in black and in large lettering in both Arabic and English.
3- Manufacturers, importers, suppliers, and dealers of cigarette products are required to obtain the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS) compulsory certification, as administered by the Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology. Cigarette products will not be distributed in the market unless the ECAS certification is obtained.
The above standards and requirements will be implemented as of October 30, 2007. Violators will be subject to strict applications of penalties including payment of fines of up to 30,000 Dirham (around US$ 8,000) as well as legal prosecution resulting in possible imprisonment.
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