Bid for plain cigarette packets gets support

Smoking

The Borough of Rochdale’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is backing an NHS campaign for cigarettes to be sold in plain packets to cut rates of smoking.

Health experts believe that “no frills” standardised packaging would significantly reduce complacency about the risks of smoking and the ease of quitting.

And with smoking by adults in the borough running at 22% compared to the national average of 20.7%, the committee believes that the following initiatives could help tackle the problem.

• Larger health warnings at the top of the pack, occupying 75% of the front and 90% of the back
• Graphic warnings on the front as well as on the back of the pack
• The removal of quantitative information on tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide (as this is misleading) and replacement with qualitative information and advice about the risks of smoking
• A Quitline number and web address on all packs
• Matt, dark coloured packaging
• Plain lettering
• Shock photographs of the effects of smoking

Committee members believed that the measures would cut the number of people taking up smoking, help current smokers to quit and reduce the exposure of non-smokers to cigarette fumes.

One area where supporters of the campaign feel it could be particularly effective is in deterring young people from taking up smoking.

Two thirds of current smokers started smoking before they were 18 years old and 83% started before they were 20, according to the ‘General Lifestyle Survey’ 2010.

As a report by the Public Health Research Consortium in 2010 showed young people to be particularly brand-conscious, removing all brand identifiers from tobacco packaging could help reduce smoking uptake.

Councillor Linda Robinson, Chairwoman of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: “Reducing the rate of smoking in the borough is something that would bring major benefits to residents’ quality of life.

“We believe that having all tobacco products in plain packaging will reduce their appeal - particularly to young people - and so it is something we are strongly supporting.”