Published 18 May 2012 | Standard notes SN06175
Authors:
Lorraine Conway
Topic:
Consumers, Health education and preventive medicine, Smoking
The plain packaging of tobacco products is generally taken to mean the removal of all attractive promotional aspects. Except for the brand name (which would be presented in a standardized way), all other trademarks, logos, colour schemes and graphics would be prohibited. The tobacco package itself would be required to be plain coloured and to display only information (such as health warnings) required by law.
There is no provision in the Health Act 2009 to impose plain packaging on tobacco products. However, the issue of plain packaging was raised during the Bill’s progress through Parliament. In March 2011 the Government published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England’ which sets out how the Government’s programme of tobacco control will be delivered over the next five years. This tobacco control plan includes a Government commitment to explore options to reduce the promotional impact of tobacco packaging. On 16 April 2012 Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, announced the publication of a consultation document on the standardised packaging of tobacco products. The consultation is being undertaken, with the agreement of the devolved Administrations, on a UK-wide basis. The consultation period will run from 16 April to 10 July 2012.
This note briefly sets out the background to the current debate in the UK on whether or not the introduction of plain packaging for all tobacco products will have a significant impact on levels of smoking. It also considers the European Commission’s review of the Tobacco Products Directive (2001/37/EC), including the merits of extending the scope of the Directive to include the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes. Finally, this note considers the position in Australia, the first country to introduce this kind of legislation.
A separate Library note, SN/HA/5536, provides information on the Protection from Tobacco (Sales from Vending Machines) England Regulations 2010, which came into force on 1 October 2011. These Regulations, made under the Health Act 2009, prohibit the sale of tobacco products from vending machines in England. Another Library note, SN/HA/5537, provides detailed information on the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010. These Regulations, also made under the Health Act 2009, prohibit the display of tobacco products in large shops from 6 April 2012 and in all other shops from 6 April 2015.