The government national issued a decree through the Ministry of Industry where a modification is made that relaxes the current regulations regarding the packaging and labeling of cigarettes and tobacco.
The resolution of the Executive considers that the undifferentiation of cigarettes facilitates the production and circulation of counterfeit cigarettes.
Likewise, the document refers to the boxes where these products are distributed. In this sense, it maintains that soft boxes are the best-selling in the market and “whose characteristics allow it to compete more effectively with those that enter contraband.”
The government considers that all these “limitations” are detrimental to “cigarettes marketed in the formal market.” Likewise, they affirm that this “severely affects collection and threatens public policies” against smuggling.
“In order to interrupt said irregularity in the marketing chain, it is understood necessary to maintain the identification of each unit of the product and its packaging in a soft box and identify those who profit from the wholesale and retail sale of counterfeit and contraband cigarettes. , discouraging access to the information product, determining applicable sanctions and explaining their scope of application”, adds the decree.
Consequently, the Executive will allow the use of the soft box for the marketing of cigarettes. Likewise, it will allow the units to have distinctive logos.
