Cigarette packs are being stripped of advertising around the world. But not in the US.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Cigarette packs have long served as portable advertising for tobacco companies, with smokers conveniently disseminating branding and imagery wherever they go.
Packaging has also long been a central target for health advocates in the global effort to get more people off deadly tobacco products.
“Plain packaging reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. “It kills the glamour, which is appropriate for a product that kills people.”
In 2012, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce the measure. Tobacco companies there are now restricted in their use of logos, colors, and brand images, and instead have to use a standard (unsavory green) color and plain font. The boxes also prominently feature warnings about the harms of smoking, including nasty images that show what cigarettes can do to the body.
Others countries — France, the United Kingdom, and Ireland — are now following Australia’s lead, implementing plain packaging regulations of their own. Norway, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden, Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Belgium, and South Africa are all formally considering similar measures.
Source: Vox (link opens in a new window)
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