Hard times for the tobacco industry: Ireland mandates plain packaging for cigarettes

March 13 2015 by in Tobacco

Fancy a smoke?

Recently Australia became the first country. Now Ireland too is implementing a law that is the tobacco industry’s nightmare, cigarette packs with big health warnings and where the brand name may only be displayed in a small, standardized text.

The Irish Times: Plain packaging for cigarettes signed into law in Ireland

A great idea that, despite the tobacco industry’s strong opposition and disinformation campaigns, seems to reduce smoking in Australia faster than ever before.

Now Ireland is following their lead. England seems to be on its way. Who’s next?

15 comments

1
FrankG
March 13 2015 6
John Oliver recently did this great piece on how the tobacco companies are still bullying governments aroudn the World...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8
2
tz
March 13 2015 2
Smoking causes blindness? How much v.s. Diabetes?
I don't know of anyone including those who do smoke who don't know the risks.
Conversely, they should use that kind of labeling on candy and soda, and starchy foods or grains that the governments have been telling us to eat for over 3 decades.

Replies: #3, #17
3
Reply to comment #2 by tz
FrankG
March 14 2015 2
"I don't know of anyone including those who do smoke who don't know the risks."

Agreed, but evidently this kind of approach does help to significantly reduce the number of those smoking... the statistics show that, as does the massive opposition by Big Tobacco.

I also agree that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the harm caused by the current western indutrialised diet.

I wonder how far in each of these industries we would need to trace, before we find that the same folks are profiteering from both? But hey, let's not knock free enterprise!
4
Daci
March 14 2015
The USA,of course,will be the last to go under,if they ever do. That being said, yeah,I'd love it if everything with sugar and grains got that kind of label..Won't happen,but it's a great fantasy!
5
dom
March 14 2015
hello,

just noticed on real meal revolution, and actually to i might have seen it here.

But artificial sweeteners are in the red list. I have been using pepsi max, (which is sweetened with aspartame + acesulfame k), to put vodka in, so I again inadvertently doing lchf wrong. Anyhow, there are 3 sweeteners in the green list, but I do not know of any soft drink with those in, in the UK, I'm currently looking on google, but if anybody knows one please let me know.

Erythritol granules
Stevia powder
Xylitol granules

I tried with tonic water but no, and i can't drink it neat no way.
6
Haggus
March 14 2015
And yet, people will either a) cover up the package, b) proudly display it/collect them (I like the eyeball) or c) simply not care.

What needs to happen is an outright ban on smokes. Alas, with the push to make pot legal, that isn't going to happen.
7
Doug Beard
March 14 2015
I've had a year of paying the price of 50yrs smoking, I suffer PAD and my right foot began to die at the end of 2013, on May 30th 2014 I had an inguinal femoral artery bypass on my right leg from groin to ankle. The healing on my right foot is almost complete but It required 6 months of daily nursing care and 4 weeks ago an amputation of my right big toe tip, the bone had been protruding since September 2014. I have vaped now for a year, it works, I no longer smoke, yet many people are against vaping!
Prohibition never works, pricing doesn't work, it merely creates the opportunity for crime, standard packaging will not work either, it is a Counterfeiters Charter. Counterfeit tobacco is a far more perilous prospect than regulated tobacco. Nicotine is very addictive, I don't have the answers, but I do know vaping is safe and infinitely preferable to smoking. At last a nicotine delivery system that is enjoyable and works, many people like me have got off tobacco using a vaping engine, why do meddlers want to fetter it with regulation???
8
G. Terrett
March 14 2015 2
Don't forget Canada.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/tobac-tabac/legislation/label-etiquette/...
9
Oliver
March 14 2015
This kind of campaigns are not effective at all; perhaphs more adults are trying to give up smoking or even having success but the vast mayority smokes again in a few months, but the fact is that talhing about young people there is a very high percentage of new smokers. This kind of campaigns is just because since there is many independent empiric confirmation regarding tobacco and cáncer, around 10 year ago, more or less; so showing this kind of photos and information they are just informing you about the danger, so you can no go to the court for this reason, because they are informing you about the risks. Then goverments are not helping you; are just helping themselves.
10
tony
March 15 2015
If the government was serious about curtailing smoking all they need to do is impose a $1,000 surtax on each pack of cigarettes. Or ration a pack to one per year per person.
11
Stacy
March 16 2015 1
I understand the desire and need to regulate potentially dangerous products, but there's a fine line between taking necessary precautions and being moralizing scolds and authoritarian know-it-alls.

Many people the world over consume many things that are bad for them, say, for example pornography and/or gambling. While minimizing the availability and promotion of these vices, it really isn't anyone's business whether or not an adult chooses to engage with these things.

In the U.S. the so called drug war has been a monumental failure, destroying the lives the millions. We know from prohibition that make something "illegal" doesn't necessarily mean it won't be available, we just criminalize it.

Criminalizing behaviors and imposing high taxes creates black markets. Not a good thing.
12
Liliane
March 19 2015
It´s also applied in Brazil since 2001.
http://www.inca.gov.br/tabagismo/economia/leisfederais.pdf
13
Vic
April 17 2015
Smoking is a ticklish issue. I smoked when I was younger but stopped when I began my family, I know how hard it is to quit. My mother has smoked since she was 15. At 81 she still smokes. She has Macular degeneration, her retinologist has told her that the smoking contributes to her issues but she will not stop. I am very frustrated, we bought her the e-cigarettes hoping she would switch as her Dr said it is far less harmful to her eyes, she doesn't like them. She has developed a chronic cough, but her Dr said that with her, he has to choose his battles. She has become very defensive about it, so I just grit my teeth and keep my mouth shut, but it is very hard to watch. I can guarantee you that if going blind will not convince you to stop, a plain paper package won't make much of a difference. I wish I knew the secret, but I don't.
14
Bobby B. Hetrick
October 13 2017
Smoking can give us a lot of fun but we have also to consider on the side of our health, so we must take some proper use of it before it's too late. Just for the sake of fun, we can use the Electonic cigarettes because it is more efficient than the other one. A source from the https://juulwraps.com/ site.
2 comments removed
17
Reply to comment #2 by tz
Bobby D Quaid
November 28 2018
I lived in Australia for five years and obeisity is very uncommon. I knew a single mother who had her child taken away for the young boys morbid obiesity after being monitored for a year. It's considered child abuse and I totally agree.

15 comments

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