Plain cigarette packets hailed as ‘momentous’

Bringing in plain packets for cigarettes has been hailed as a “momentous milestone” in the battle against smoking.

Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s cancer prevention expert, welcomed the change which means cigarettes can now only be sold in plain green packets.

The new rules mean all wording on the packs must be of a uniform size, and they cannot contain any “misleading information” such as describing cigarettes as “low tar” or “organic”. They will also feature larger health warnings.

Other changes include the introduction of a minimum pack size of 20 cigarettes, barring the sale of packs of 10, and a ban on flavoured cigarettes and tobacco.

The Scottish Government was the first in the UK to back the introduction of plain packaging.

Ms Bauld, who is based at the University of Stirling, has also been a leading voice in the campaign for the change.

She said: “Smoking is a lethal addiction. It causes at least 14 types of cancer and so this measure, to remove the branding, colours and misleading descriptions from tobacco packs, is a momentous milestone in the battle for a tobaccofree future.”

Almost one in five (19%) adults in Scotland smoke cigarettes, and the habit is responsible for 13,500 deaths in the country each year, according to Cancer Research UK.

Ms Bauld said: “Our aim is to see a tobacco-free Scotland by 2035, where fewer than 5% of the population smoke.

“Important measures such as phasing out brightly coloured and slickly-designed tobacco packaging will go a long way to preventing people from starting smoking in the first place.

“With hundreds of children starting smoking every day, reducing the appeal of deadly tobacco products is essential.

“But there is still a lot more to do. Smoking cessation services are the most successful way at helping people to quit and so it’s vital funding for these services is maintained and smokers are encouraged to access them.”