Karen A Evans-Reeves, Anna B Gilmore and Andy Rowell Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath, The tobacco industry is under attack. In just two weeks, in May 2016, its tactic of challenging any law that threatens its profits, took a big hit. The arbitration panel, that tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) had hoped […]
Category: plain packaging
World No Tobacco Day 2016: Get Ready for Plain Packaging
This year for World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization is urging governments to build on advertising and promotion bans by introducing plain packaging of tobacco products. The measure is the next logical step in stripping away any hint of glamour associated with smoking. It is also an important way of preventing packaging creating misleading suggestions of […]
New Zealand study: Dissuasive cigarette sticks – the next step in standardised (‘plain’) packaging?
A study published by Tobacco Control in December 2015 by a team of New Zealand and Australian researchers explored extending the concept of plain packaging one step further – to the cigarette stick itself. New Zealand is moving towards introducing plain packaging; incorporating dissuasive cigarette sticks would put it at the forefront of innovative tobacco […]
Health ministers from around the world agree plain tobacco packaging priority
In excellent news for public health and bad news for big tobacco, Yahoo! news reports: Ministers from 10 countries gathered in Paris Monday to launch a common drive to introduce plain cigarette packaging with the aim of stubbing out high smoking rates among young people. Representatives from nations as far afield as New Zealand, Australia, […]
Blockbuster Special Issue: Evaluation of the Australian tobacco plain packaging policy
The latest supplement from Tobacco Control is a must read. All papers mentioned below are available open access. Features audio and news grabs are also available from the Cancer Council Victoria. Key findings of the evaluation include: • Plain packaging has delivered on its aim to reduce appeal of packs, particularly with adolescents and young […]
New Zealand: Dirty Politics raises conflict of interest concerns
Nathan Cowie, MPH. Cowie Research and Communications Disclosure: The author has previously undertaken paid employment for Centre for Tobacco Control Research, University of Auckland, and Action on Smoking and Health New Zealand. Investigative journalist Nicky Hager released a book in August 2014 on the seamier side of New Zealand politics. Dirty Politics: How attack politics […]
Academics and The Australian go up in smoke
By Alan Austin This post originally appeared on Independent Australia. We post it here under Creative Commons license. Prominent Australian professors have been caught out making false statements in the tobacco wars started by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. SEVERAL ACADEMICS used by the Murdoch-owned newspaper The Australian have been seriously singed in the last week. […]
Debunking the tobacco industry take on Australia’s plain packaging laws
Not having succeeded in preventing Australian plain packaging laws from being enacted, the tobacco industry has now turned its efforts to convincing other nations to not follow Australia’s lead. Last week it was reported that smoking had actually increased under the plain packaging laws – a claim that has been expertly taken down by ABC […]
Standardised packaging – UK moves closer
The UK is one step closer to introducing standardized packaging for tobacco products. In an address to the House of Commons, Jane Ellison MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, called for swift action in light of the recent report confirming the likely positive impact standardized packaging would have on the health of children. […]
Will the UK government go ahead with standardised tobacco packaging or not?
Deborah Arnott Chief Executive, ASH UK It seems like a straightforward question, but as is often the case there isn’t a simple answer. The UK parliament has passed primary legislation which allows it to introduce standardised packaging by regulation, but the government hasn’t yet made a decision to go ahead. This primary legislation is […]