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Cigarette packaging

(33 Posts)
absentgrana Fri 30-Nov-12 11:34:02

Closely watched by other governments, including ours, Australia is about to break new ground this weekend when it become law that cigarettes, whatever the brand, must be sold in identical drab olive packaging adorned with graphic images of mouth cancer, gangrenous legs and so on. Obviously, this is an attempt to discourage young people from taking up smoking and persuade older smokers to give up. A praiseworthy plan, but I suspect that it will signal a revival of the old-fashioned silver cigarette case.

annodomini Sun 02-Dec-12 15:16:48

I remember when I was at school, if you wanted to find a male member of staff during one of the breaks and went to knock on the men's staffroom door, you were almost suffocated by the cloud of smoke when it opened. Not so the women's staffroom. A significant number of these men - almost all ex-service - died of smoking-related illnesses.

POGS Sun 02-Dec-12 15:53:03

Faye

Thanks for your post. It is certainly a radical decision and very interesting to see how it develops. I think I may be minded to do a u-turn on my original post and say I quite like the idea of those born after 2000 not being allowed to buy tobacco. confused

The graphic pictures on the boxes will probably only be seen on the shelves as there is already a product on the market which hides them. It is a box which you put your packet of fags in and they are obviously making the packet actually look good. The original company logo boxes look quite drab in comparrison to them. Can't win can you.

Ana Sun 02-Dec-12 15:56:01

Aren't they already hidden behind shutters in supermarkets? Children aren't going to see the gruesome pictures unless their parents smoke.

glammanana Sun 02-Dec-12 16:11:29

Ana You are sp right they are hidden away now in all supermarkets and from all shop counters soon so I am told,my friend who is a smoker said at one of the stores they had a leaflet with all the brands on so she could see the prices they where charging.
What would the government do if everyone stopped smoking to-morrow though they would loose a vast amount of tax wouldn't they and where will they make that up from as the NHS would still be over run with pre smoking conditions,and will be for many years to come.

POGS Sun 02-Dec-12 16:23:03

Ana

Are they behind shutters in Australia though?

Perhaps Faye will tell us.

Ana Sun 02-Dec-12 16:55:50

Yes, POGS, they've been required to hide them behind shutters for about a year now.

Mishap Sun 02-Dec-12 17:55:31

I like the "bump the elderly off with compulsory fags" idea!! Mind you an aunt died at 94 having smoked all her life, so it might not work all the time!

Boringly I have never ever smoked - two reasons mainly: my father was very anti-smoking having shared a bedroom with a smoking brother - he was quite eloquent on the subject of how unatractive and smelly they made you; and also I was a very sickly child and figured that my body was very good at going wrong all by itself and I did not want to offer it further encouragement.

None of my 3 children smoke/smoked - mainly I think because the house was full of British Medical Journals with revolting pics of rotting lungs, so maybe the Ozzie government has the right idea.