Time For Plain Packaging?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26873410
just watching "burning desires" on BBC2 - following the sucess of plain packaging in Australia do you think UK and the wider EU will now follow suit? Is this the next phase after the public places ban? It seems Ireland are going ahead and Scotland plan to follow. How long before will kill off the evil tobacco industry?

[237SJ]

They can try it but I don`t think it will make much difference. I don`t have any friends in this country that still smoke but I do have friends in Oz who smoke. One of them only took it up a few years ago when he was in his mid 40s. It was only a few years ago that you could still smoke in pubs in Australia (as long as you were a certain distance from the bar) Smokers are in denial as to the consequences. I don`t think plain packaging will make much difference.

[Jeza]

Neither do I SJ. I often wonder if everyone gave up smoking and drinking where the government will get the tax from? Sugar perhaps.

[Buenchico]

You seem to be out of touch, TTT. The Government has already announced that measures to introduced plain packaging are to be introduced 'swiftly':
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/03/uk-plain-packaging-cigarettes-smokers

[Baldric]

I heard on the News tonight that someone (?) is proposing raising the price of a pack of Cigs to around the £20 mark, that's gotta hurt anyone who's still puffing away!

[askyourgran]

I agree sj, it doesn't matter what the packaging is, if you want a cigarette you don't care what the box looks like or whether they are on display at the shops or not. The only way to solve the smoking problem is to ban tobacco products altogether, and the loss of revenue would be too much for the Gvt to bear. I don't think the nanny state should interfere in personal preferences such as this.

[EDDIE51]

Jesa, The cost of smoking related illness and other costs is estimated at £13.75 Billion while tobacco tax raises £10 Billion
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7463690/Every-cigarette-smoked-costs-taxpayer-6.5p-think-tank-warns.html
Smokers cost the taxpayer 6p for every fag smoked!

[Svejk]

surprised to see 3t in favour of more government interference in peoples lives.
£20 a packet will hurt people alright. British shopkeepers and the taxpayers who will have to stump up the shortfall in revenue. Good news for 'criminal' gangs, though.

[askyourgran]

Eddie since I stopped smoking nearly 5 years ago I have gained weight, high blood pressure and higher cholesterol and I have become allergic to several things. Apart from my breathing getting better and not smelling of tobacco I don't think I've gained anything, any extra cash has been spent of bigger clothes. It is up to the individual what they want and if they are aware of any dangers it is their choice. I hate the smell of second hand curry but I can't tell people not to breathe on me.

[EDDIE51]

askyourgran, you need to cut down on food then, eating too much is the only way you put on weight. Eat less, buy less food and save money.

[Svejk]

Eddie, no matter what the debate you find a set of statistics to bolster your viewpoint. How does the saying go, 'lies, damned lies and statistics'. I could, doubtless, find a set of statistics to say the opposite of anything you can find.

[sherrardk]

I don't see how plain packaging would work, apart from in small shops the fags are all behind sliding doors so you can't see them anyway.

[mikey4444]

TTT...As you know, we sing from the same hymn sheet here. I listened to the boss of BAT being interviewed on the Today program this week, and it was nothing but weasel words. It was suggested to him by the interviewer that his company were killing off its own customers, and it needed millions of children to take up the habit each year, in order to continue its trade.

Yes, lets follow Australia here. Lets do everything we can to stop 10,000's of children being recruited every year. We have come a long way since advertising on the TV, boys being given model racing cars for Xmas, with cigarette adverts on the side, etc. But it isn't enough. Raise the duty on "fags" by a whopping great bit every year, for the next few years, not the few pennies that happens now. On the Today program it was said that cigarettes are cheaper in real terms now than they were in the 1960's.

But there are other tactics that could be tried. If we could persuade just one major supermarket to stop selling cigarettes, it would be the boost that it needed. Take Tesco, for instance. Tesco sell pretty well everything these days, so tobacco products must only account for a small percentage of their profits.

They are selling a product that is killing their own customers, so it must be counter-productive to them to continue to do so. It would be a brave thing for any supermarket to do but I think that the positive message that it would give out would benefit the store group in the medium to long run.

[ummmm]

It's nearly £9 for a pack of B&H. £1.90 in Spain.

I don't think plain packaging would help much.

[1ozzy]

All plain packaging has done in Oz is make it more difficult for the shop assistant.
Those that smoke...still smoke...
In this country the government increases the "taxes" twice a year and loves the income it creates for them.
They also tax fuel and alcohol with a vengeance.
Government income?
Well, who needs to finance their retirement plan?

[ToraToraTora]

Usual BS from jeza, smoking costs at least 300% more than we get in tax. Thatt includes all the costs not just health.

[Svejk]

absolute rubbish.^

[ToraToraTora]

sherrard the plain packaging is about after sales the brand ID etc. It's about stopping the uptake from kids, it seems to b working in Australia, in the program they could barely find any child smokers.

Yes Mikey, they should escalate the price. Oddly enough the EU could be useful here. Agree a consistant price across the EU then hike that up. That should wipe out bootlegging. The fake stuff is still a problem though.

[hc4361]

People who smoke because they think it's 'cool' will buy the blingy cigarette cases for a few quid, maybe to match their iPhone case
I bet the cigarette companies will sell them, too, complete with their own branding.