The new laws on cigarettes and tobacco coming into effect this month
Small cigarette packs of 10 and tobacco rolling packs of 10g and 20g will be axed completely. Menthols and a variety of fruit, candy, spice, herbs, alcohol and vanilla flavoured tobacco will also be included in the ban
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All cigarette packets will be covered in the world's ugliest colour in the just three weeks time, as part of a huge overhaul of smoking laws that kicks in on 21 May.
The ban on small packs of cigarettes and rolling tobacco will mean that the cheapest packet available will cost £8.82.
Small cigarette packs of 10 and tobacco rolling packs of 10g and 20g will be axed completely. Menthols and a variety of fruit, candy, spice, herbs, alcohol and vanilla flavoured tobacco will also be included in the ban in an effort to deter future smokers.
“Cigarettes are already expensive and the price increase of cigarettes is a key factor in making people quit smoking” said Action on Smoking and Health spokesperson Amanda Sandford to the Liverpool Echo.
In an attempt to make smoking less appealing to younger generations, the eye-catching branding on packets will also be banned.
The new boxes will only display simple standard font alongside the graphic images of smoking-related illnesses.
From 21 May every pack will be a shade of green called “opaque couche”, the world’s ugliest colour according to an advisory team hired by the Australian government to find the least appealing advertising for their recent plain packet rules.
This will also counter myths that lighter-coloured packs are less harmful due to having lower tar content.
France followed suit by introducing a branded packaging ban on 1 January.
Four global tobacco firms, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco, filed law suits against Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2015, but their challenge was overturned.
The smokers’ group Forest have opposed the regulations, telling The Sun that the laws “treat adults like children and teenagers like idiots”.
Two thirds of smokers start the habit before they are 18 years old, according to Cancer Research.
According to research by the British Medical Association, smoking costs the NHS a total of £2.7bn each year. It is hoped the law will reduce the number of smokers across the European Union by 2.4 million.
“It will hit poorer and younger smokers harder who are more likely to buy smaller packs”, Ms Sandford added.
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