Tobacco companies claims lack proof
"There is strong evidence that plain packaging would make smoking less attractive to young people. Tobacco companies' claims plain packaging would not affect smoking prevalence are simply wrong, just as their claims that pictorial warnings would have no effect were also wrong," argue University of Otago researchers from the ASPIRE2025 research group.
"Plain packaging represents a pivotal step towards achieving the government's Smokefree 2025 goal and the healthier society this will promote."
We congratulate the government for seeing through the tobacco industry's tactics and announcing their intention to implement plain packaging policies. We particularly recognise Minister Turia, whose strength and determination to hold the tobacco industry to account will result in the protection all New Zealanders, particularly our tamariki, deserve.
"Studies from New Zealand and internationally consistently show that young people find plain packages with large and dissuasive warnings unattractive. The tobacco industry opposes plain packaging because they rightly fear this measure will deter smoking initiation and recruitment of their most profitable customers: young people.
"We find it extraordinary that BAT's website states: 'We believe that tobacco products should never be marketed to children' yet tobacco companies continue to oppose the very measures that would protect children from their deadly products."
"We believe plain packaging is also likely to stimulate quit attempts among smokers, more than 80% of whom wish they had never started smoking."
BAT's claims plain packaging would create a 'disturbing precedent' have no empirical or logical basis.
There is no evidence that counterfeiting would increase with plain packaging. Because of its relative isolation, New Zealand is not a prime target for cigarette counterfeiters, and New Zealand could easily adopt measures used internationally (for example, by Singapore) to counteract this risk.
Nor is there any evidence prices would decrease. As we have seen, governments have introduced excise tax increases overnight and, if tobacco companies discounted prices, the government could respond quickly by increasing tobacco taxes.
Tobacco companies have consistently 'overlooked' the strong evidence supporting plain packaging and provided no alternative, except scare tactics and bluster.
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