Britain takes step toward requiring plain packaging for cigarette packs, says there's 'enough evidence to say that standardized packaging is very likely to contribute to a modest but important reduction in smoking'

Nevin Barich

LONDON , April 4, 2014 (The New York Times Co.) – The British government took a step Thursday toward imposing a ban on branding for cigarette packs, indicating that it was likely to go ahead with sweeping new restrictions on the marketing of tobacco.

Until late last year, the government appeared to oppose any requirement for plain cigarette packaging, which is intended to make smoking less attractive to young people, who might be tempted by the brand messages of tobacco companies.

But on Thursday, Jane Ellison, the under secretary for public health, published the findings of an independent study on the issue, which found that there was ''enough evidence to say that standardized packaging is very likely to contribute to a modest but important reduction in smoking.''

Ms. Ellison said she was inclined to proceed with laws to standardize cigarette packaging and told lawmakers that if the rate of smoking by children was reduced even 2 percent, 4,000 fewer children would take up the habit each year.

She said that, before proceeding, she would review any information that had emerged since the last full public consultation in 2012 and that could be ''relevant to a final decision on this policy.''

Any such law would give public health advocates a big lift by introducing some of the toughest restrictions on tobacco sales in the world. Australia requires plain packaging, and Ireland intends to eliminate trademarks and logos on packs and to set rules on the size and positioning of health warnings. All packs would be one neutral color, with the brand name in the same uniform typeface.

New restrictions across Europe will soon increase the size of mandatory health warnings on cigarette packages. In February, the European Parliament approved regulations to permit picture and text health warnings that would cover 65 percent of the front and the back of the packs, and 50 percent of their sides.

Countries inside the 28-nation bloc are permitted to go further if they wish.

The report published Thursday was written by a prominent pediatrician, Cyril Chantler. He said in a statement that research ''cannot prove conclusively'' that any one measure would have an impact on curtailing smoking, but he noted that even a moderate decline was important.

The Labour Party criticized the British government for requiring a consultation period instead of pressing ahead immediately with legislation.

''How many more children are going to take up smoking before this government takes firm and decisive action?'' said Luciana Berger, a spokeswoman on public health issues for the opposition. ''This is yet another example of how this government is caving in to vested interests and standing up for the wrong people.''

Some opponents of the plan have argued that plain packaging would encourage counterfeit cigarettes, but Dr. Chantler's report rejected that idea. It found ''no evidence that standardized packaging is easier to counterfeit, and indeed in Australia hardly any counterfeit standardized packages have been found to date.''

The report said that in Australia, the effect of the new rules, introduced in 2012, on tobacco consumption was unclear and that the switchover process might have distorted the statistics. Tobacco shipped to retailers actually increased in volume by around 0.3 percent in 2013. But cigarette sales in grocery stores fell by around 0.9 percent in the same year, the report said, citing the Retail World trade magazine.

Mark Littlewood, the director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, a research institute in London that favors free markets, said that the British government should resist a rush to regulate.

''The early evidence from Australia, where plain packs have been introduced, suggests this policy has not had any impact on youth smoking rates -- in fact, overall smoking appears to have risen,'' he said in a statement.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

April 04, 2014, Friday Late Edition - Final
Section: B Page: 2 Column: 0 Desk: Business/Financial Desk Length: 619 words

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