Plain Packs and No More 10’s – New Tobacco Laws Take Effect

Historical law article · 2017

This article records the 2017 standardised-packaging changes. For the rules that apply now in Wales, see Smoking laws in Wales.

Branded cigarettes and packs of ten will no longer be on sale from this weekend as new laws controlling the look and size of tobacco products are fully enforced.

Only ‘plain’ packs, cartons of 20’s and 30 gram roll-your-own tobacco pouches can be sold as full bans on branded, attractive and small size packets take effect across the UK.

In May 2016 it became law for all tobacco products to be sold in a ‘standardised’ brown packaging. Retailers were given a one year transitional period to sell stock which didn’t comply with the new rules but this time ended on Friday (19th May 2017).

Plain packaging removes the tobacco industry’s last form of advertising and makes   smoking less appealing to children and young people. Large pack sizes make smoking more costly and this standardisation means the cheapest pack will be £8.82 – making them less affordable for young people.

All packaging must now be in the ‘world’s ugliest colour’ known as opaque couché and 65% of every product must be covered in pictorial and text health warnings. In addition to this, no branding is allowed other than the product name in a standardised font and no other trademarks, logos, colour schemes or graphics are permitted.

Research from Australia, who implemented the same plain packaging in 2012, has shown that consumers now perceive their cigarettes to taste worse, be of lower quality and were more likely to ask for help to quit smoking altogether.

Chief Executive, tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales Cymru, Suzanne Cass, said: “Existing smokers know which brand they smoke, the only reason cigarettes are made to look attractive is to appeal to new young smokers. Young people are the tobacco industry’s target audience – the next generation of smokers. Anything we can do to stop them from becoming addicted can only be a good thing.

“These standardised packs are very important – tobacco causes cancer and kills half of all long-term users. It is an “ugly” product that deserves to be sold in ugly packaging.”

Evidence from Australia also found a reduction in smoking of 0.5% up to one year after the policy was introduced; translating to 100,000 people no longer smoking, says the Australian Government. They attribute the decline specifically to plain packaging after taking into account the continuing drop in the numbers of smokers due to other tobacco control measures.

ASH Wales Welcomes New Laws Protecting Children from Smoking

New laws to protect children and young people from the harms of tobacco have been hailed as a major public health achievement by tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales.

The Public Health (Wales) Bill successfully passed in the Senedd today (Tuesday 16th May) following a final vote by Assembly Members.

The new laws will restrict smoking in children’s playgrounds, school grounds and hospital sites and pave the way for a retail register of all tobacco sellers. The legislation follows a campaign by ASH Wales which persuaded every local authority in Wales to implement voluntary smoking bans in their children’s playgrounds and has seen 11 councils ban smoking at the gates of their primary schools.

Research shows young people are highly influenced by others smoking around them – those with a parent who smokes are 70% more likely to take up the habit. Smokefree areas also protect from second-hand smoke whilst ‘denormalising’ the deadly habit. Almost half of long-term smokers begin smoking before leaving high school and among children who try smoking around a third become regular smokers within 3 years.

Support for banning smoking at communal outdoor spaces such as these – especially those specifically created for children – remains high. A recent YouGov poll (2017) showed:

  • 71% agree smoking should be banned in hospital grounds
  • 61% agree with banning smoking in recreational spaces such as parks and beaches
  • An overwhelming 83% think smoking should be banned at children’s playgrounds, including 56% of smokers

One of the most powerful control measures outlined in the Bill is the creation of a national register of retailers of tobacco products. This will make it easier for retailers to be identified and monitored – helping to tackle the problem of illegal sales of tobacco to underage young people in Wales.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive ASH Wales Cymru, said: “This is a major public health achievement and it is absolutely fantastic news that Wales’ next generation have the chance to grow-up in a society where they can get an education, play and meet their friends in smokefree, clean environments.

“Smoking is an addiction of childhood with a classroom full of children taking up smoking every day in Wales. It is essential tobacco control measures tackle the issue of young people smoking or seeing this adult choice as a normal, everyday activity. It is essential we set positive examples wherever we can.

“The retail register will give enforcement agencies a clear idea of where tobacco is being sold and the increased restrictions will help drive down the sale of illegal tobacco. Illegal tobacco is sold at pocket money prices by sellers who don’t care about age restrictions therefore making tobacco more accessible to young people.”

The Bill has seen various health organisations such as Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and ASH Wales work tirelessly over the past few years to provide strong evidence to support the tobacco control aspects which will become law following Royal Assent.

HMRC: Cardiff Shopkeeper’s Tobacco Fraud Goes Up in Smoke

A Cardiff shop owner who was caught with a quantity of illegal cigarettes, hand rolling tobacco and alcohol, has been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.

Alan Alias, 31, of Blackoak Road, was sentenced after he was investigated by HM Revenue and Customs. Alias’ shop and flats, in Clifton Street, were searched by Police and HMRC officers in February 2015.

Inside a locked bedroom of one of the flats, HMRC Officers found 26,873 cigarettes and 6.05 kg of hand rolling tobacco worth £9539.77 in unpaid excise duty and VAT.

Alias claimed that the tenant of the flat ‘Tony’ had just left minutes before Police officers arrived and that Alias was only in the flat because ‘Tony’ had invited him to dinner.

Alias said that he had never been inside that flat before and had no knowledge of the cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco found in the bedroom even though Alias’ fingerprints were found to be on a cigarette box and plastic bags inside the bedroom.

When officers searched Alias he was also found to be carrying £4,110 in cash, which was seized.

Two previous visits to Alias’ shop by HMRC Officers resulted in seizures of illegal cigarettes, hand rolling and shisha tobacco and alcohol, totalling £6,441.08 in unpaid excise duty and VAT.

Alias was convicted and sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on 9th May 2017 to 12 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £100.

ASH Wales Backs Calls for Smokefree Social Housing

Proposals by a leading health organisation calling for new social housing tenants to sign an agreement not to light up inside their home have been backed by tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales.

The President of the Faculty of Public Health, Professor John Middleton, has said there is a “real case” for providing smokefree housing where children are involved. Under the new plans only new tenants would be asked to sign up to the voluntary ban.

The move would follow a scheme in the US where public housing agencies will have to make their houses smokefree by next year.

The home remains the environment where exposure to second-hand smoke is likely to be at its highest, particularly for children. In 2014, 22% of children aged 10-11 reported living in households where at least one parent smoked in the home.

Social housing accounts for 17% of all households in the UK and many agencies already actively encourage residents to take their smoking outside and away from children. However, with the effects of passive smoking still resulting in 9,500 hospital admissions and 300,000 GP visits for children every year ASH Wales believes more needs to be done.

Chief Executive of ASH Wales, Suzanne Cass, said: “Support here is key. We know 68% of smokers want to quit and smoking is the biggest driver of health inequalities in Wales. We need a nationwide plan of action to encourage social landlords to develop strategies to promote healthier living specifically around smoking. We also need to ensure we have adequate stop smoking services to support those who want to quit.”

80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and can hang around for 4 hours – therefore opening a door or window, keeping smoking to one room, or smoking when people are not around makes minimal difference to smoke indoors.

Research shows children who grow up where one or more parent smokes are three times more likely to take up the habit themselves in later life. Children who breathe in second-hand smoke have an increased risk of asthma and coughs and colds, as well as cot death, meningitis and ear infections.

Last month NHS Wales launched their new cessation service, Help Me Quit, which offers free, tailored quit smoking advice, as well as face-to-face groups and information on nicotine replacements (NRT) such as gum, patches and e-cigarettes.

Wales’ Leading Youth Festival First to Go Smokefree

There will be no smoking at this summer’s Urdd National Eisteddfod in support of a campaign to make Wales smokefree.

The youth event, taking place in Pencoed at the end of May, is the first major event in Wales to join tobacco control action group ASH Wales Cymru’s Smokefree Summer campaign.

The Urdd, one of Europe’s largest youth festivals, has signed up to be smokefree to promote a clean and healthy environment for the festival goers.

The ban will cover the entire Eisteddfod site for the 6-day event – including the famous Maes and pavilion – which is attended by 90,000 visitors and 15,000 young competitors annually.

With more and more spaces becoming no smoking areas, ASH is calling on event organisers and visitor attractions across Wales to join the campaign and go smokefree.

Research shows young people are highly influenced by others smoking around them. Children with a parent who smokes are 70% more likely to take up the habit. Almost half of long-term smokers begin smoking before leaving high school and, among children who try smoking, around a third become regular smokers within 3 years.

To celebrate today’s announcement, ASH Wales’ youth project The Filter is running an online competition, supported by the Urdd, encouraging young people to submit photos of anything red, white or green. The top entry will win tickets to the Eisteddfod and a family trip to a Welsh theme park.

ASH Wales’ Campaign Organiser, Adele Pember, said: “We want children to see less smoke in the world around them. The more events that become smokefree, the less likely children are to see and therefore take up smoking – it is a deadly addiction that still kills one in two long-term users.

“Our campaign to make children’s playgrounds smokefree has been a huge success with every council in Wales banning smoking in those areas. Making family attractions and youth events smokefree is the next step in journey to protecting the next generation from smoke. We are delighted to have the Urdd Eisteddfod on board to expand and continue this crucial work. These events and attractions, including the Tafwyl festival which will also be smokefree, will create a much more pleasant environment for everyone and especially for the thousands of children and young people who visit them daily.”

Urdd Eisteddfod Organiser, Morys Gruffudd, added: “We are proud to be the first major festival in Wales to go smokefree.  It’s a family-friendly festival with over 90,000 visiting during the week, and it feels only appropriate that we place a smoking ban for the whole site so that we can offer a clean and healthy environment.

“Within the 20-acre festival site we have the competing pavilion, a funfair and around 80 stalls selling all sorts from jewellery and clothes to picnic tables and trailers.  There is also an activity field with a climbing wall, quad bikes, trampolines and various workshops as well as live bands performing in the food arena. It’s great that we can offer all this in a smokefree environment.”

The Urdd National Eisteddfod takes place between Monday 29th May to Saturday 3rd June in Pencoed, near Bridgend and early bird tickets are available now.

10 years of the smoking ban – what’s changed in Wales?

Historical article · 2017

This page marked ten years since Wales’ original smoke-free law. For the rules that apply now, including the 2007 smoking ban, smoke-free vehicles, school and hospital grounds, vaping and nicotine rules, see Smoking laws in Wales.

Today (Sunday 2nd April) marks 10 years since the ground-breaking legislation banning smoking in enclosed public places came into force across Wales.

The hotly debated ban has helped to drastically bring down smoking rates among adults and teenagers alike and saved thousands from the harms of a product which kills 1 in 2 of its long-term users.

In 2007, 24% of adults in Wales smoked now levels stand at 19% – over 94,000 less smokers. The stats are even greater when it comes to teens, with smoking rates reduced by 6% for boys and 14% for girls respectively.

A major cultural shift has taken place over the past decade. A vast decrease in the numbers of those who smoke in the home, from 80% to 46% since the ban’s implementation, suggests a better awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke, especially around children and families.

Chief executive of tobacco control campaign charity ASH Wales, Suzanne Cass, said: “The smoking ban has resulted in the most positive improvement in the nation’s health in decades. The significance of this legislation should not be underestimated. Thousands more children now live in a smokefree home, and hundreds of thousands of people are no longer subjected to the deadly effects of passive smoking.”

There is clear evidence smokers no longer feel as comfortable smoking around others – the number of people smoking in their own home has almost halved since the ban came into place. It is fantastic to see the message about the dangers of smoking, especially around children, is being heard.”

The hidden threat from second-hand smoke, especially for workers in the leisure industry such as pubs and clubs, was cited as one of the major reasons for bringing in the indoor smoking ban. The World Health Organisation says more than 80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and odourless, and there is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure.

There continues to be strong support for the smoking ban in Wales, with 81% of people in support of the smokefree legislation. Notably three quarters of smokers are in favour of the ban.

Despite the huge steps forward, ASH Wales believes there are still more changes to be had. Suzanne continued; “Smoking rates have dropped for most of the population except among the unemployed where they’ve in fact increased from 41% to 43%. This shows the stop smoking message still isn’t engaging these ‘hard-to-reach’ people and the health inequalities gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ in Wales in increasing.”

Substantial laws and voluntary bans have come into force in Wales over the past decade since the implementation of the smokefree legislation…

2007

  • 24% of people smoke in Wales
  • The age limit to buy tobacco is raised to 18 from 16

2012

2015

2016

2017

  • 19% of people smoke in Wales
  • Welsh Government plans to legislate against smoking on hospital grounds, school grounds and at children’s playgrounds
  • 11 Welsh local authorities voluntarily make their primary school gates ‘no smoking’ areas
  • Packs of 10 are no longer on sale