Graphic/pictorial health warnings too are forceful for keeping tobacco use low, especially among young people. Studies in Canada, Brazil, Singapore, and Thailand have shown that graphic warnings have educated smokers on the specific harms of tobacco use and influenced them to consider quitting. Plain packaging, coupled with pictorial/graphic and text health warnings, thus becomes a very formidable tool to thwart the tobacco industry's nefarious designs.
Australia became the first country in December 2012 to go for plain packaging of all tobacco products with graphic health warnings covering over 50% of main display areas. Thereafter, smoking rates in the country fell at a fast pace. The number of adolescents currently smoking reduced by more than 70% - from 23.5% in 1996 to 6.7% in 2014.
More recently, Ireland, the UK, and France have passed laws to implement plain packaging from May 2016. Dr Bam informed that Nepal, which has already implemented 90% pictorial warnings, could be the first country in the South Asia region to adopt plain packaging very soon.
Dr Bam lauded some recent public health wins against the tobacco industry:
* UK- On May 19, 2016, the UK High Court ruled in favour of plain tobacco packaging, upholding rules that ban branding and require graphic health warnings across 65% of the front and back surfaces, with written warnings down each side. The judge rejected legal grounds for challenge from British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Brands.
* European Union (EU)- On May 4, 2016, tobacco companies lost a legal challenge against EU rules that force them to put graphic images on cigarette packages warning people of the dangers of smoking
* India-
(i) On March 8, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Health Ministry on a PIL which sought immediate implementation of plain packaging rules for cigarette and other tobacco products
(ii) On May 4, the Supreme Court gave a ruling for introducing 85% pictorial health warnings on all tobacco product packs, turning down the manufacturers' plea to stay the implementation of the new cigarette packaging rules.
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