ACS

30 April 2010

The Australia Government has announced plans to require tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging. The rules, which would take effect 1st July 2012, would ban tobacco companies from including logos, promotional text or colourful images on cigarette packages. Graphic government health warnings would be prominently displayed, with the brand name written in a small, generic font at the bottom of the package. If this legislation comes into force, Australia would be the first Government in the world to successfully introduce plain packaging.

The UK Government has previously raised the issue of plain packaging most explicitly as a policy option in the Future of Tobacco Control consultation in 2008/09. The Government concluded that the issue required further research. In a Health debate yesterday Health Minister Andy Burnham reiterated his desire to review the evidence around the measure, to judge whether it should be introduced in the UK.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “Plain packaging will clearly have operational repercussions for retailers. Similar looking packets will make locating, restocking and selling products difficult. We are also concerned at the impact plain packaging may have on the illicit trade, as it will make tobacco packets easier to counterfeit. We will continue to monitor closely developments in this area.”