WELLINGTON - The New
Zealand government is moving forward with plans to make plain packaging the
standard for tobacco products, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Tariana Turia, associate
health minister, said this week that the government would start the policy work
now, but hold off on implementation until the World
Trade Organization rules on the case of Australia€™s plain packaging. The
government is also bracing for any legal challenges to such a regulation.
Turia said the plain
packaging changes would likely be ready in late 2014. "We know that we've got
trade obligations and we take them seriously," said Turia. "But we are
confident that plain packaging can be introduced consistently with those
obligations."
Tobacco companies have
indicated they will fight such measures. "While we can't rule out legal action
at this stage, we can say that we will fully participate in the legislative
process," said Steve Rush, British American Tobacco€™s New Zealand general
manager.
Meanwhile, Philip Morris
International Inc. released a statement this week in response to New
Zealand€™s plain packaging plan, which is similar to Australia€™s, that said there is "no
credible evidence that standardized packaging" reduces smoking, the Dow Jones
Newswire reports. Philip Morris pointed out that there is "strong evidence that
it will jeopardize jobs, benefit the black market for cigarettes, and is a
breach of international trade rules."