UN health agency trumpets ‘plain packaging’ for tobacco
A woman performs in front of antismoking banners displayed on the Bird’s Nest stadium to mark the World No Tobacco Day in Beijing, China, on May 31. Beijing celebrated the World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday, one year since the Chinese capital imposed a smoking ban in all indoor public places. With about 315 million smokers, China is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of tobacco products. And roughly 700 million people are routinely exposed to second-hand smoke, according to the WHO. AP
GENEVA—The UN health agency says “plain packaging” on tobacco products has shown to be an effective complement to health warnings, advertising restrictions, and curbs on misleading packaging to help save lives.
The World Health Organization released Tuesday an 86-page report on “plain packaging,” hoping to decrease the lure of smoking on “World No Tobacco Day.”
WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan said plain packaging “kills the glamour, which is appropriate for a product that kills people.”
The report chronicles the effort to strip tobacco packaging of logos, colors and brand imagery and contradicts legal challenges from the tobacco industry.
Australia in 2012 became the first WHO member state to introduce plain packaging, and other countries have followed. New Zealand on Tuesday announced it will push ahead with similar plans.
