Disclaimer: This article provides a preliminary overview of the Tobacco Control Bill, 2025, which has yet to pass the House of Representatives. It has been prepared to inform the private sector and the wider public of the Bill’s key provisions and implications. Readers are encouraged to consult the full text of the Bill for a comprehensive understanding of its provisions.

Why This Matters Now

The Tobacco Control Bill, 2025 (including proposed Committee Amendments) is before the National Assembly. The Bill was introduced at the House of Representatives on October 17, 2025 and referred to the Health and Human Development Committee, which met on October 27, 2025. The Second Reading was deferred on February 6, 2026, but the Bill remains on the legislative agenda and could return at any sitting. If enacted, it would fundamentally change how tobacco products are imported, packaged, sold, displayed, and advertised in Belize. The Bill gives domestic effect to Belize’s obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which Belize ratified in 2005. In several areas, its requirements exceed the FCTC’s minimum standards.

The Bill’s reach extends well beyond tobacco manufacturers. Virtually anyone involved in the sale or promotion of tobacco products would be directly affected. The Bill includes significant penalties, with preliminary fines ranging from $500 to $250,000 and, in some cases, imprisonment.

Smoking Restrictions and Premises Liability

The Bill prohibits smoking in virtually all indoor and outdoor public spaces, workplaces, and public transport, effectively confining smoking to private premises (Section 9). Fines are $500 for a first offence and $1,000 thereafter.

For business owners, the more significant exposure is in premises liability. Owners and managers of covered premises bear a continuous duty to post signage, supervise compliance, and actively intervene to stop anyone from smoking, including asking them to leave or contacting law enforcement. Failure to meet this obligation carries fines of $50,000 for a first offence and at least $100,000 for subsequent offences (Section 10).

Packaging, Labelling, and Product Regulation

Health warnings comprising text and images must cover at least 80% of each principal display area on tobacco packaging (Section 13). For context, the FCTC recommends a minimum of 50% and sets 30% as the floor. Descriptors such as “light,” “mild,” and similar terms are prohibited (Section 15), and the Minister is empowered to mandate plain packaging by regulation without the need for further primary legislation (Section 16).

All flavour additives are banned, including menthol (Section 17(3)). The prohibition extends to any additive that enhances nicotine uptake or implies health benefits or reduced risk.

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems

No person/entity may manufacture, import, distribute, or sell an electronic nicotine delivery system (Section 20). The definition is broad and there are no exceptions, including for products that may function as cessation aids.

Sales Requirements

Single-stick and loose tobacco sales are effectively banned. All tobacco products must be sold in intact packages meeting minimum quantity requirements, with violations carrying a $20,000 fine (Section 21).

Sales to minors are prohibited, and sellers must verify the purchaser’s age via picture identification before every transaction. The fine for non-compliance is $250,000 (Section 19(4)).

Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship

The Bill bans all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (Section 22). It provides a comprehensive prohibition covering all methods and channels of communication and promotion.

The penalty structure escalates quickly. Fines range from $20,000 to $100,000 depending on the nature of involvement, with each subsequent violation doubling the preceding fine. Liability extends beyond the tobacco industry itself to media platforms, event organizers, and individuals who fail to remove prohibited content once they become aware of it.

Government-Industry Interaction

Part X of the Bill restricts government interaction with the tobacco industry to what is “strictly necessary” for regulation, implementing FCTC Article 5.3. Any interaction that does occur must be documented and witnessed by a conflict-free member of the National Tobacco Control Committee. The Government is prohibited from providing the tobacco industry with grants, subsidies, loans, or favourable tax treatment (Sections 30-31).

Enforcement

Authorized officers, which include police, customs, and public health inspectors, have broad powers to enter premises, inspect records, take samples, and seize non-compliant products without a warrant (Section 26). Obstructing an officer carries a fine of $50,000, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both (Section 28).

Courts may order corrective measures at the defendant’s expense, including product recalls, destruction of non-compliant goods, and forfeiture of proceeds. Each day an offence continues constitutes a separate offence, and directors and officers who authorised or acquiesced in a violation are personally liable (Section 24).

National Tobacco Control Committee

The Bill establishes a fifteen-member advisory Committee appointed by the Minister responsible for public health (Section 4). Membership is drawn from government institutions, public health bodies, and civil society; the private sector is not represented. This limits direct private sector participation in the Committee’s advisory process.

The Minister also has authority to remove members and appoint replacements (Section 5).

Current Status

The Bill’s Second Reading was deferred on February 6, 2026. It has not yet been passed into law but remains on the legislative agenda. The BCCI will continue to monitor its progress and provide updates as developments occur.