Jump to full article: Politics.co.uk (uk), 2009-09-04
Author: Ian Dunt
Intro: Pressure is growing for the government to rid cigarette packets of their designs and branding ahead of a parliamentary vote next month.
The Liberal Democrats are trying to reintroduce an amendment to the health bill – due to be debated on the day parliament returns from summer recess – calling for the government to scrap cigarette pack designs.
In Australia, the government's Preventative Health Task Force has advised it to "eliminate promotion of tobacco products through design of packaging" as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco deaths. The Lib Dems are calling for a similar move in the UK.
Meanwhile, new research from the University of Nottingham published today showed tobacco branding and packaging send misleading signals to young people and adult smokers. . . .
Simon Clark, director of the smokers' rights group Forest questioned the evidence linking design to smoking habits.
"Very few people, if any, start smoking because they see a brightly coloured packet or the words 'light' or 'mild'," he told politics.co.uk.
"People aren't stupid. They know there are health risks associated with smoking regardless of the branding.
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