CTFK hails UK court for upholding plain packaging law

In another major victory for global health and defeat for the tobacco industry, the UK High Court has upheld the new law requiring that tobacco products be sold in plain packaging.

The ruling comes a day before the UK and France are set to implement their plain packaging laws on May 20, as they join Australia in adopting this groundbreaking strategy to accelerate progress in reducing tobacco use and save lives.
 
This UK’s legal victory against tobacco giants was a “tremendous victory for public health,” President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Matthew Myers said in a statement.
 
It represents “a critical step in the growing movement for countries to include plain packaging as part of their comprehensive approach to reducing tobacco use,” he said.
 
 “We applaud these governments for standing strong against industry opposition and putting the health of their people first”.
 
 “These countries are providing much-needed leadership in combating a global epidemic that will otherwise kill one billion people this century and setting a strong example for other countries to follow,” he said.
 
Standardised or "plain" packaging of tobacco products requires that packaging have a uniform plain color, shape and size without colorful branding or other promotional elements that attract kids or mislead consumers about the harms of tobacco.
 
The tobacco industry fiercely opposes plain packaging because they know it works, Myers said.
 
In Australia, public understanding of the dangers of tobacco use rose and smoking rates have fallen at the fastest pace in more than two decades following the 2012 implementation of plain packaging and other tobacco control measures. Since then, the tobacco industry has launched other legal challenges worldwide to block this strategy, including a challenge to new tobacco regulations in the European Union called the Tobacco Products Directive – which the tobacco companies lost earlier this month.
 
“These legal victories set precedents and an international norm that should protect other nations against future tobacco industry attempts to block plain packaging which is sure to come,” Myers said.
 
 “Plain packaging laws should continue to be upheld as they do not violate any intellectual property rights of the tobacco companies; they do save lives”.
 
Ireland has also enacted a plain packaging law and is finalising implementing regulations.