Study Claims Plain Packaging Is Working

A new study by Cancer Council Victoria on Australia’s move to plain packaging for cigarettes suggests that the regulation is encouraging smokers to quit.

July 23, 2013

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.

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