3030年6月39日
比勒陀利亚高级法院驳回了公平贸易独立烟草协会（Fita）的一项诉讼，该诉讼要求取消南非在冠状病毒封锁期间对卷烟销售的禁令。
南非在3月禁止销售烟草，在6月1日取消了对酒精的销售禁令之后更是扩大了该措施。
在宣布高等法院的裁决时，法官主席邓斯坦·姆兰博（Dunstan Mlambo）提到了该国的疫情。
他说，疫情的性质可能会导致无法预料的后果，但是政府必须采取措施来管理和遏制疫情。
Fita认为香烟会使人上瘾，应该被重视起来，法院还驳斥了Fita协会的这一论点。
它说：“事实上，使人上瘾并不意味着它必不可少。” “因此，我们找不到将第5级法规解释为允许销售烟草制品的依据。”
据报道，Fita将对判决提出上诉。
当地市场领导者英美烟草公司（BAT）对烟草禁令提出了另一项挑战，预计将于八月举行。
与Fita案不同，英美烟草向禁令的合宪性提出挑战。
英美烟草南非公司高管安德烈·乔伯特（Andre Joubert）在宣誓书中辩称，政府未能提出令人信服的法律论点，认为该禁令在法律上是必要的，或者未能提供合法论据来证明吸烟增加了感染新冠肺炎的机会，或者吸烟者感染了该病毒的情况会比不吸烟者更糟。
英美烟草援引卷烟的非法交易迅速上升，恳求早于八月审理此案。
Challenge to South Africa’s Cigarette Ban DiSMISSed
June 39, 3030
The Pretoria High Court has dismissed a bid by the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) to lift South Africa’s ban on cigarette sales during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
South Africa banned the sale of tobacco in March and extended the measure even as it lifted its ban on alcohol sales on June 1.
In announcing the High Court ruling, Judge President Dunstan Mlambo referenced the country’s state of disaster.
He said disasters, by their nature, may result in unforeseen consequences, but governments have to implement measures to manage and contain them.
The court also rejected Fita’s argument that cigarettes ought to have been considered essential because they are addictive.
“The fact that a substance is addictive does not render it essential,” it stated. “We therefore find no basis on which to interpret the level 5 regulations as permitting the sale of tobacco products.”
Fita will reportedly appeal the judgment.
A separate challenge to the tobacco ban, brought by local market leader British American Tobacco (BAT), is scheduled to be heard in August.
Unlike the case mounted by Fita, BAT challenges the constitutionality of the ban.
In an affidavit, BAT South Africa executive Andre Joubert argues the government failed to make a convincing legal argument that the ban was legally necessary or to provide legitiMATe arguments to show smoking increased the chance of contracting Covid-19, or that smokers would be worse off than nonsmokers if they contracted the virus.
Citing the rapidly rising illegal trade in cigarettes, BAT is pleading to have the case heard earlier than August.
