Wiltshire youth parliment debate on plain packaging for cigarettes
12:06pm Monday 12th March 2012 in News
Members and Deputies of UK Youth Parliament for Wiltshire debated about whether tobacco companies should be allowed to advertise cigarettes through packaging as this is the last allowed form of tobacco advertising seen on a daily basis by children and young people.
Ellie Vesey- Thompson, Simone Snashell, Ellie Pullen and Frankie Haugh joined 40 other Members of the Youth Parliament in the South West to take part in the debate.
Every year, another 340,000 children in the UK are tempted in some shape or form to try smoking with research showing they are more likely to be lured by the designed tobacco packs, than with plain packs.
Smokefree South West launched the world first campaign which has been backed by Dragon’s Den’s Duncan Bannatyne and Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP.
Members of the Youth Parliament were split in their opinion on whether the law should change and the packaging of cigarettes should be plain.
Wiltshire East UK Youth Parliament member Ellie Vesey-Thompson, 17, said: "Although I think plain packaging on cigarettes would currently be a good idea, because shops are stopping showing packets at all, and hiding them behind white boards, plain packaging seems a little pointless.
"I think the debate went well. Lots of people were eager to contribute which shows this is something important to young people. I think it was made clear that education is a very important factor that needs to be improved."
Wiltshire North UK Youth Parliament member Simone Snashall, 14, said: "I do not think changing the packaging on cigarettes will make any difference to the amount of young people who smoke."
Wiltshire West member Ellie Pullen, 15, said: "I do not think plain packaging is the source of why people smoke, I think that it is peer pressure.
"Although colourful packaging may attract young people, I believe the problem lies in peer pressure and young people should be taught how to say no."
Andrea Dickens, Deputy Director of Smokefree South West said: "The tobacco industry spends millions each year coming up with new glitzy, glamorous and enticing designs for their packaging or the 'hero' as they call it.
"Smokefree South West is encouraging people to go to www.plainpacksprotect.co.uk to find out more and have their voice heard in the upcoming Government consultation which is due to be announced in the following weeks.
"We can all be a part of this groundbreaking process and join Australia in making a move to protect children from the influence of tobacco packaging."
Australia has committed to bringing plain packaging in to law from December from 2012 and various countries including Canada are also looking at following their lead.
Simon Chapman, Professor at Sydney University was heavily involved in the Australian legislative process. He said: "This is a public health measure. Britain as a country has every right to protect the health of its population."
A YouGov poll commissioned by ASH in 2010 found that 64 per cent of the UK public would support plain packaging if there was evidence that plain packaging was less likely to give the false impression that one type of cigarette is safer than another.
Three quarters of respondents said they would support plain packaging if it made health warnings more effective, and 80 per cent would support it if they were found to be less attractive to children and young people than branded packs.
Tomado de:
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario