Action on Smoking and Health Wales has welcomed the start of the consultation on standardised packaging for cigarettes and tobacco. The UK Department of Health today published the draft regulations which will lead to the introduction of standardised packaging across the UK in May 2016. The standard packs proposed will include health warnings and graphic images showing the harm caused by smoking.
In a recent ASH Wales Roadshow young people were shown some examples of the cigarette packets currently on sale. Amongst the comments were: “It looks like chewing gum!”; “It looks like soap!”; “It looks like it’s got Lego in it!” and “They are lush, I’m going to ask my Dad to buy me them!”
“It’s high time that we got rid of these cigarette packs that are deliberately designed to be attractive to children. We know that 14,500 11-15 year olds in Wales take up smoking every year. We must do everything we can to protect our children from the harm caused by tobacco.”
A poll by YouGov for ASH Wales in March 2014 indicated that 66% of adults in Wales support or strongly support standard packaging.
By ASH Wales
