Australia: Cigarettes now only in single-color packs
In Australia, starting in December 2012, cigarettes may only be sold in plain olive-green packaging. Tobacco companies are up in arms over the law—the first of its kind in the world—which took effect on Monday.
With the new regulation, the last remaining advertising options for cigarettes have been abolished. On the new cigarette packs, the brand name will only appear in small print, with photos and warnings about the dangers of smoking prominently displayed. Cigarette manufacturers have announced that they will take legal action. The measure violates international trademark rights and regulations on intellectual property, they said. However, the Australian government was optimistic that it would emerge victorious from these disputes.
Australia has long played a pioneering role in the fight against smoking. The proportion of smokers in the Australian population is one of the lowest in the world due to high taxes and advertising and sales restrictions. Only around 16 percent of Australians and 14 percent of Australian women smoke regularly. In 1983, 40 percent of men and 32 percent of women smoked in Australia. According to official figures, around 15,000 Australians die every year as a result of tobacco consumption. (SDA)
