Lebanon

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, specifically prohibits the broadcast by any electronic or audiovisual means any publicity or advertisement of tobacco products. Thus, the law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion on domestic TV and radio.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to domestic TV and radio.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the publication by any media outlet of any publicity or advertisement of tobacco products. Thus, the law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic newspapers and magazines.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic newspapers and magazines.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the publication by "all media related mechanisms and means" of any publicity or advertisement of tobacco products. Thus, the law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic print media such as pamphlets, leaflets, flyers, posters and signs.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic print media.

Although Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the broadcast of tobacco advertising and promotion, the law does not explicitly ban international or cross-border tobacco advertising on TV and radio. Therefore it is uncertain whether the law bans international TV and radio advertising.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make clear that all international and cross-border tobacco advertising and promotion, including via international TV and radio, is prohibited.

Although Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the publication of tobacco advertising and promotion, the law does not explicitly ban international or cross-border tobacco advertising in publications. Therefore it is uncertain whether the law bans tobacco advertising in international newspapers and magazines.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make clear that all international and cross-border tobacco advertising and promotion, including via international newspapers and magazines, is prohibited.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the publication by any "electronic and other informational means" of any publicity or advertisement of tobacco products. Thus, the law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion via internet communications.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion via internet communications.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits outdoor advertising. The law explicitly provides: "It is prohibited to post advertising on the roads through ads on billboards or on the roofs of buildings and shop fronts, and generally by any means visible for pedestrians in public places."

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to outdoor advertising.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits point of sale advertising and promotion. The law prohibits tobacco advertising through written or any other means of media and there are no exceptions to the ban provided for point of sale advertising. In addition, Article 12(a) prohibits advertising "by any means visible for pedestrians in public places." Article 13 of the law allows retailers to post only information that tobacco products are sold there. The Retailer Bylaws (Decree No. 7437) further specify that retailers may post a sign outside the shop stating only that the shop is authorized to sell tobacco products. Inside the shop, retailers may post one A5 size sign stating only "Tobacco products are sold here."

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines para. 13, which provides: "Only the textual listing of products and their prices, without any promotional elements, would be allowed."

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits placing tobacco products at point of sale in a way that allows customers to handle them by themselves. This is interpreted to mean that tobacco product displays are permitted behind the counter, where customers cannot handle the products directly, but the visibility of products is not banned.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines para. 13, the law should impose "a total ban on any display and on the visibility of tobacco products at points of sale."

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits tobacco advertising and promotions by any written means and "all media related mechanisms and means." Because tobacco advertising by conventional mail necessarily involves printed materials, tobacco advertising by conventional mail is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising sent by conventional mail.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion by any media, including electronic media. Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion via telephone and cellular phone is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising by telephone and cellular phone.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits publishing any tobacco advertising by any informational means. Tobacco advertising is broadly defined to encompass any "commercial action" with "the aim of promoting a tobacco product." Because brand marking is a commercial action aimed at promoting tobacco products, it is therefore prohibited under the law.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand marking.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits providing free samples of tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, and meets FCTC Art. 16 (sales to minors) with respect to free distribution of tobacco products.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits, in conjunction with a tobacco product purchase, the giving of gifts that bear a tobacco product logo or trademark or offering the right to enter a competition or drawing. However, the law does not specifically prohibit giving gifts or prizes that do not bear tobacco product logos or trademarks. Therefore, the law restricts but does not prohibit such practices.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all promotional gifts, prizes and rewards in conjunction with a tobacco product purchase, regardless if those gifts bear a tobacco product logo.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits sponsorship of any "commercial event." A competition is a commercial event and therefore sponsorship of a competition by a tobacco product is prohibited. In addition, advertising or promoting a competition associated with a tobacco product would violate the ban on tobacco advertising and promotion.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to competitions associated with tobacco products.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits tobacco advertisement or promotion "by any informational means." The definition of tobacco advertising is broad and includes "any form of commercial communication [and] recommendation," and therefore encompasses person-to-person recommendations. Consequently, direct person-to-person targeting of individuals is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to direct person to person targeting of individuals.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits publishing any tobacco advertising by any informational means. Tobacco advertising is broadly defined to encompass any "commercial action" with "the aim of promoting a tobacco product." Because brand stretching is a commercial action aimed at promoting tobacco products, it is therefore prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand stretching.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, does not address reverse brand stretching. Therefore the law is interpreted as allowing this practice.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should specifically prohibit reverse brand stretching.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the production, import, sale, and display of any product that represents or resembles a tobacco product, including toys and candy.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to toys that resemble tobacco products.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, prohibits the production, import, sale, and display of any product that represents or resembles a tobacco product, including toys and candy.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to candy that resembles tobacco products.

Under Law No. 174, effective March 2012, retailer incentive programs fall within the definition of "tobacco advertising and promotion" because they are "commercial . . . action aimed at promoting a tobacco product." However, the law prohibits “publishing or broadcasting” tobacco advertising and promotion, and it could be argued that retailer incentive programs are not "published" or "broadcast." Therefore, it is uncertain whether Law No. 174 bans this type of promotional activity.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make clear that retailer incentive programs are prohibited as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, bans publishing or broadcasting tobacco advertising or promotion by any "informational means" and "all media related mechanisms and means." Paid placement of tobacco products falls within the definition of tobacco advertising and promotion, as it a "commercial communication aimed at promoting a tobacco product." Therefore paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film and other media is prohibited under the law.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to paid placement of tobacco products.

Law No. 174, effective March 2012, is interpreted as prohibiting unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in TV, film and other entertainment media. The law provides that "it is prohibited to publish or broadcast for free . . . any publicity . . . or program or article that can be considered as an advertisement or publicity of any tobacco products." Unpaid depiction of tobacco products or use can be considered publicity of tobacco products and therefore it is banned under this section.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to unpaid depiction of tobacco products.

The law prohibits sponsorship of cultural, sport, and commercial events. The law allows other forms of contributions to individuals, organizations, governments, or other types of non-commercial activities. “Tobacco sponsorship” is defined as “any form of contribution to any event, activity or individual with the aim of promoting a tobacco product or tobacco use either directly or indirectly.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all contributions to activities, individuals, organizations, or governments that have the aim, effect, or likely effect of promoting tobacco products or tobacco use directly or indirectly.

The law prohibits sponsorship of cultural, sport, and commercial events, so there can be no publicity of such sponsorship. “Tobacco sponsorship” is defined as “any form of contribution to any event, activity or individual with the aim of promoting a tobacco product or tobacco use either directly or indirectly.” The law allows other forms of contributions to individuals, organizations, governments, or other types of non-commercial activities, and there are no explicit provisions regulating publicity of those sponsorships; however, general advertising and promotion restrictions will apply.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco sponsorship and publicity thereof.

Law No. 174 prohibits on tobacco product packaging misleading terms and other elements that suggest a tobacco product is less dangerous than another. This includes terms such as "light," "ultra-light," and "mild." The law does not specifically address misleading advertising; however such advertising is banned under the comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and promotion by any media and informational means.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to promotion by means that are false, misleading and deceptive.