How standardised tobacco packaging would work in practice
A consultation on government proposals to introduce standardised packaging for tobacco products.
In April Sir Cyril Chantler published his independent review into whether the introduction of standardised packaging is likely to have an effect on public health, particularly for children. The review concluded that if standardised packaging were introduced, it would have a positive impact on public health.
The government announced at the time, that in light of this report and the responses to the previous consultation in 2012, it was minded to proceed with introducing regulations for standardised packaging. However, the decision on whether to proceed with the changes would only be made following a final short consultation so that any new relevant evidence could be considered.
Today all interested parties are encouraged to respond to the consultation, in particular with any new information since the previous one in 2012. The consultation includes a draft of the regulations to show how standardised packaging would work in practice.
Jane Ellison, Public Health Minister said:
We are minded to introduce regulations to provide for standardised packaging of tobacco products in line with Cyril Chantler’s recommendations.
It is vital that any decision is properly and fully informed. The consultation includes a set of draft regulations so it is clear how such a policy would work in practice. I urge anybody with any new evidence relating to the wider implications of introducing standardised packaging, to contribute so their voice can be heard.
All aspects of the policy will be considered before a final decision is made.
The draft regulations set out proposed requirements for the packaging of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, such as the colour of the packet and allowed text and typeface and requirements for the appearance of individual cigarettes, should standardised packaging be introduced.
The UK wide consultation will run for 6 weeks closing on 7 August.
We have also published the detailed responses that were received to the 2012 consultation.