SYDNEY – In the seven
months since Australia switched to plain packaging for cigarettes, a new study is
claiming that smokers are rethinking whether they want to smoke because of the
packaging, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Cancer Council Victoria
funded the research, which gathered information from 536 smokers during last
November, when both plain packaging and branded packaging were on sale at the
same time. Plain packaging purchasers also thought more about stopping, with
nearly 70% contemplating doing so within six months.
“Plain packaging of
tobacco is as much about stopping our kids from taking up smoking as it is
about encouraging existing smokers to quit,” said Tanya Plibersek, health
minister. She said feedback from smokers indicated that cigarettes appeared to
taste not as good in plain packs as they did in branded packs, even though
tobacco companies have not changed the ingredients.
Meanwhile, cigarette makers noted the bias of the study, saying that they have not seen any reduction in
sales. “The tobacco market has remained stable. Consumers have not changed
their purchasing behavior,” said Scott McIntyre, spokesman for British American
Tobacco.
Ireland
is moving ahead with its own plain packaging laws, while the United
Kingdom has shelved any legislation while it studies the issue. Meanwhile,
a March report shows how Australia’s law is impacting small
retailers.