Although the study doesn't have much data to go on, early returns on such a policy change in Australia indicate good news for those hoping to stamp out smoking.
Scientists believe that plain or standardized cigarette packs that do away with tobacco company brands could effectively deter non-smokers from taking up the habit and may also encourage smokers to reduce their intake.
Researchers said in a study published in the journal Addiction that although standardized packs are still fairly new and thus there isn’t a lot of data on the subject, early studies indicate that it is a worthwhile proposition, according to a Reuters report.
Britain this spring is likely to become the second country in the world after Australia to introduced non-branded packaging for cigarettes. Australia introduced such packaging two years ago despite a savage legal attack from the tobacco industry. Its cigarettes are sold in plain green packs that include health warnings and graphic images showing the health impacts of smoking cigarettes.
Researchers found that the move to non-branded plain packaging resulted in a significant decline in outdoors areas of cafes and restaurants, and smokers were less likely to leave their packs lying out in public.
Tobacco companies have fought fiercely against such laws, even going so far as to sue entire countries for enacting such laws under international laws and treaties. Tobacco industry revenues often amount of many times more than the entire Gross Domestic Product of small countries, meaning that the industry is able to threaten the nations with protracted legal battles that they can’t afford.
Tobacco companies argue that such packs infringe on intellectual property rights and will increase counterfeiting and smuggling.
Robert West, who is editor-in-chief of the journal Addiction, said that plain packaging’s effect on young people could be the most important factor, noting that if just one in 20 young people were discouraged from smoking, it would save 2,000 lives each year, according to the report.
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