What does the plain packaging of tobacco mean?
The plain packaging of tobacco means that all tobacco products will be required to look the same.
All brand names would have to be written in a standard typeface, colour and size. And all other trademarks, logos, colour schemes and graphics would be banned.
Why should we support plain packaging?
Make packs less attractive to our children
Every year, another 340,000 children in the UK are tempted to try smoking. And research has shown that they are more likely to be attracted by designed tobacco packs, than by plain packs.
With regulation in place to restrict television, radio and other advertising, packaging is becoming more and more important to the tobacco industry to help sell their products.
Shiny holograms, pretty pastel colours and wrappers are just some of the eye-catching pack designs available, and there is building evidence to suggest that these packs can attract and mislead children.
Increase the effectiveness of health warnings
Under the new law, health warnings could be updated and increased from 30% to 75% of the pack front.
Evidence suggests that the impact of health warnings are lost on current branded packs and become less noticeable.
If the new plain packaging law is passed in the UK, this will change. The health warnings will become bigger and more eye-catching against a plain background. This means that by making packaging plain, health warnings will become more effective.
Plain packaging of tobacco products could reduce the amount of children smoking by:
- Making tobacco packaging look less attractive
- Increasing the effectiveness of health warnings
- Preventing the use of misleading and deceptive colours to create false beliefs of different strength and quality
- Removing the positive association with cigarette brands and image
How Do we Get Involved?
The Government is due to launch a public consultation in Spring 2012 on whether the UK should adopt the plain packaging of tobacco products
Help protect our children by signing up to the national campaign today. It’s quick and easy, and your support will be fed through to the national consultation.
You will also be provided with an opportunity for your support on this campaign to be forwarded to your local Lincolnshire MP to see if they will also be a supporter of the campaign.
One you have signed up please forward the campaign on your Facebook, Twitter and/ or your own email account, the more people that become aware the better!
Please click on the Plain Packaging Banner above to sign up, support and be a part of this national consultation.
