The House of Lords has approved a bill to introduce plain packaging on tobacco products in England. While the bill currently only covers England, other regions in the UK have plans to introduce similar rules.
The House of Commons had already voted yes on the bill last week, and while Conservative Party politician, Lord Naseby tabled a ‘fatal motion’ in an attempt to block it.
Lord Naseby refuted claims that similar laws in Australia had reduced smoking, claiming, “It is the only country to have introduced standardised packaging. It was claimed that the rate of new smoking would decline. In fact, today it is at a seven-year high in Australia.”
However, the motion was withdrawn and the House of Lords gave its support to the bill.
Having now been approved by the House of Lords, plain packaging is now set to be introduced in England from May 2016, a year before Ireland will see the same.
Cigarettes in England will be packaged in a plain, olive green box with graphic warnings against smoking on them. It is thought that these will discourage younger people from being attracted to them.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan.
