Australia to mandate plain packs for cigarettes as part of new tobacco control offensive

Australia plans to become the first country in the world to mandate plain packaging of cigarettes as part of a raft of new tobacco control measures.

The Australian government also announced today a 25% hike in tobacco excise, which it predicts will cut the country’s total tobacco consumption by around 6%.

The move to plain packaging, to be introduced by mid 2012, will restrict or ban the use of tobacco industry logos, brand imagery, colours, and promotional text other than brand and product names in a standard colour, position, font style, and size.

The government plans to develop and test package design to make cigarettes less appealing, particularly to young people. It will also crack down …