ND1005114

Title: Australia Considers Plain Packaging for All Tobacco Products

Description: The country?s health minister is recommending the same plain, olive green tobacco packaging for chewing tobacco, cigars and cigarillos.

Page Content: SYDNEY, Australia ? The Australian Parliament is considering plain, olive green packaging for cigarettes, and the country?s health minister is recommending how that law would work for other tobacco products, the Herald Sun reports. Under the proposed laws, tobacco manufacturers would no longer be able to display their own branding on packs of cigarettes, including logos, colors and promotional text on packs of cigarettes. The new laws would begin in July 2012.

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Product names would have to appear on packs in standard colors and positions in a regular font and size, and colored a dark olive-brown, which Australian government research suggests as having the lowest appeal to smokers. Health warnings with gruesome images would make up 75 percent of the front of the packaging and 90 percent of the back.

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The proposed laws specifically refer to cigarettes, but the government is considering how to implement the laws to apply to loose and chewing tobacco, cigars and cigarillos. Health Minister Nicola Roxon has written a consultation paper with guidelines on plain-packaging for other tobacco products.

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The paper suggests that tobacco products would have the same drab green packaging as cigarettes, with no logos or company brands visible. Graphic and gruesome images would be plastered on the packages as well. Comments on the proposals will be accepted until Oct. 28.

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The tobacco industry has already asked for extensions on the implementation date.

Content Subject: International

Formatted Article Date: October 5, 2011

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