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Plain cigarette packaging 'does not reduce smoking'
Australia’s controversial Plain Packaging Act, which requires cigarette makers to use uniform packaging with no brand names and ads, has failed to reduce the nation’s smoking rate, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) said Wednesday.
The company argues that Australia’s smoking rate has not decreased since December 2012 when Australia’s Department of Health enacted the act. This is why the department has been intentionally delaying the post-implementation review (PIR) on the effectiveness of the plain packaging.
“Anti-tobacco lobbyists have misrepresented the data to hide the fact that the ban on brands has failed,” says Michiel Reerink, JTI’s regulatory strategy vice president. “Australia ― the only country where the measure has been introduced ― cannot be held up as a model for other countries to follow.”
Citing government guidelines, the tobacco company said Australia should conduct the PIR on major policies such as the Plain Packaging Act within two years of introduction, and the review should be completed within six months.
“The Department of Health is desperate to prove the success of the plain tobacco packaging,” Reerink said. But all the evidence points to its failure.
“If the review is not completed and published soon, the Australian government does not abide by its own rules. Worse, other countries will be misled,” he said.