France Says Yes To Plain Cigarette Packaging | Valdamark Film Packaging

Representatives from around the world attend gathering to implement plain cigarette packaging in order to prevent young people taking up smoking.

Global Gathering Emphasizes Importance Plain Cigarette Packaging!

Later in the year government representatives from over 10 nations will gather in Paris to start the ball rolling on universal plain cigarette packaging.
The goal being to drive down the high smoking rates that exist among young people around the world.

A join statement came from several key members states stating that there is significant scientific proof that backs up the benefits of plain cigarette packaging. Especially when it comes to reducing their youth appeal.

Several studies have discovered that this type of product packaging has been effective in decreasing desirability for cigarettes, especially with young people. They have also found that plain packaging is effective at emphasising the message of health warnings printed on the packs.

The French Health Minister, Marisol Touraine has even said that she sees these measures contributing greatly to a tobacco free world! Furthermore she hopes these changes will help today’s generation become the first without tobacco in their lives.

Bold claims!

Smoking in France claims over 78,000 lives per year. It is predicted that if no action is taken by 2030 over 8 millions smokers will be killed by smoking related diseases.

These statistics sound high but the World Health Organisation states that one person dies every 6 seconds due to smoking related diseases. A massive 6 million people a year.

Can Plain Cigarette Packaging Be Effective?
Marisol Touraine has said that the introduction of metalised film packaging can help in preventing young people with an ‘introduction’ to tobacco. It believe plain cigarette packaging will have a significant impact.

It’s common knowledge that there has much new legislation aimed at limiting the appeal of tobacco products. However the powerful tobacco lobby has fiercely resisted any of the proposed changes.

Australia was the first country to introduce plain packaging measures all the way back in 2012. Following this was France, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Early findings in Australia have shown a drop in the rate of younger smokers. The tobacco industry however has pointed to high taxation rates as the cause.

It is much needed as smoking in France is extremely popular being home to the highest number of under 16’s smokers in Europe.

Touraine has even banned smoking in passenger cars where an occupant is under 12 years of age. Also in children’s play areas too!

These new measures have drew heavy protests in many regions of France particularly from Tobacconists.

Plain Cigarette Packaging

In France, cigarette packaging plays a crucial role in the battle against smoking. Plain cigarette packaging is a powerful tool used worldwide to reduce smoking rates and change how people view smoking.

The Impact of Packaging
Packaging is a big deal when it comes to promoting any product. In the case of cigarettes, it's even more important, especially in places where strict rules limit tobacco advertising. The packaging of a cigarette is like a symbol that people carry with them, showing off the brand every time they light up. The colourful and attractive designs on cigarette packs can distract from the health warnings and make smoking seem appealing, especially to young folks. This kind of branding can even maintain addiction, as shown in a Cancer Research UK video.

Plain or Standardized Packaging
Different countries call it by various names, like 'standardised packaging' in the UK and Ireland, 'neutral packaging' in France, and 'generic packaging' in some other places. But all these terms refer to the same thing: packaging that removes the eye-catching and tempting elements.

How Plain Packaging Works

The main goal of plain packaging is to change people's thoughts and behaviours regarding smoking and reduce the demand for tobacco. It does this through a few important ways:

• Reducing Attraction. Getting rid of the colorful and appealing branding makes tobacco products less enticing.
• Boosting Health Warnings. It makes health warnings on the packaging more noticeable and effective.
• Ending Deceptive Packaging. The policy stops tobacco packaging from misleading consumers about the dangers of smoking or using tobacco.

The Effectiveness of Plain Packaging:
There's strong evidence that plain packaging works. Five international reviews looked at research from all over the world and all agreed that this policy is a powerful way to achieve its goals.

In Australia, where plain packaging has been in place for more than six years, smoking rates have gone down significantly. The government's review found a 0.55 percentage point drop in smoking, which means 118,000 fewer smokers in three years.

The United Kingdom and France fully adopted plain packaging in early 2017, and it looks like it's reducing smoking rates and changing how people see smoking in these countries.

Even though the tobacco industry opposes it and relies on research that's not peer-reviewed or verified, the strong global evidence supporting plain packaging's effectiveness can't be ignored.

Conclusion

Cigarette Packaging in France is a crucial part of the fight against smoking. Plain packaging removes the appeal of colorful branding, highlights health warnings, and eliminates deceptive packaging, making it a game-changer in the global effort to reduce the harm caused by smoking. The evidence is clear: plain packaging is a powerful weapon in the battle against smoking.