From: Reuters
LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) – The British government on Friday pushed back plans to ban company branding on cigarette packets, saying it wanted to first see the impact of a similar decision in Australia.
The move was welcomed by the tobacco industry which claims plain packaging would hit jobs and encourage cigarette smuggling, but strongly criticised by health campaigners.
The government has published the results of a consultation on plain packaging which showed 53 percent of respondents in favour of the measure, but said it had decided to wait until the impact of the Australian ban could be measured.
Last year, Australia implemented a law saying cigarettes must be sold in olive green packets carrying graphic health warnings.
Until earlier this year, when the plan was omitted from the government’s legislative plans, Britain had looked set to become the first European country to follow suit.
“Obviously we take very seriously the potential for standardised packaging to reduce smoking rates, but in light of the differing views, we have decided to wait until the emerging impact of the decision in Australia can be measured, and then we will make a decision in England,” said Health Minister Jeremy Hunt.
Supporters of a ban on branding, meaning cigarettes would be sold in uniform packets without company logos or colours, say it would help reduce smoking rates, particularly among young people.
Cancer Research UK called Friday’s decision “bitterly disappointing.”
“The government has stalled in the face of strong evidence and instead reacted to myths perpetuated by the tobacco industry, an industry well-known for suppressing the truth about its lethal products,” said a spokesman.
But Imperial Tobacco, the world’s fourth-largest cigarette group by market share, said it welcomed the delay.
“We’ve always made our views clear that there’s no evidence that plain packaging would achieve its stated outcome, that it would be anti-competitive, and we’ve always pointed out the impact it would have on the illicit trade in the UK which is growing,” said a spokesman.
