The Colombian Senate passed an anti-tobacco law Tuesday, June 16, that will impose a number of restrictions above and beyond the increasingly common ban on smoking in restaurants, offices, and other public places. No more loosies or ten-packs: cigarettes will now only come in boxes of twenty. Cigarette advertisers will have to steer clear of implying that their products promote popularity or sex appeal and will no longer be permitted to use terms that imply reduced danger to health, such as “light” or “reduced nicotine.” But one of the law’s most important effects does not directly impact smokers–cigarette companies may no longer sponsor professional soccer matches.
The restriction hits Colombian soccer hard, since tobacco companies are one of the sport’s principal sponsors. The Associated Press reports:
The annual investment in soccer by tobacco companies reaches the equivalent of 1,750,000 U.S. dollars, making up approximately 30% of the cost of the first and second division championships, according to professional league Dimayor [División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano].
The President of Dimayor, Ramón Jesurún, criticized the law and said that “in our country life, health, and education have been financed by liquor, gambling, and tobacco.”
The measure must pass conference committee and get a signature from President Uribe before it becomes law. After that, the Colombian Soccer Federation will have one year to find a new patron.
Image: Marshall Astor
Update: El Tiempo reported this morning that the law was changed during conference committee to allow tobacco companies two years, rather than one, to cease promoting their products by sponsoring professional soccer events.
