None of predicted negative effects of plain cigarette packs has emerged, says study

Introducing plain packaging of tobacco products has not led to any of the negative consequences that the industry predicted, concludes a study published in BMJ Open.1

Australian researchers found that the policy had not damaged small retailers’ business, nor had it flooded the market with cheap cigarettes or boosted the trade in illicit tobacco. Australia was the first country to introduce standardised packaging of tobacco products in December 2012. Similar legislation is currently being considered in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Ireland. …