• March 29, 2024

10 countries discuss ‘a world without tobacco’

The French Health Minister, Marisol Touraine, yesterday hosted in Paris ‘a world without tobacco’ conference attended by ministers from nine other countries, according to an Agence France Presse story relayed by the TMA.

Touraine and ministers from Australia, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, the UK and Uruguay issued a joint statement claiming the existence of ‘significant scientific proof’ that justified the imposition of standardized cigarette packaging.

They said standardized packaging had been shown to ‘reduce the attractiveness of the product for consumers, especially amongst women and young people’.

And they said such packaging increased the effectiveness of the health warnings printed on the packs.

Meanwhile, Touraine said that “the generation that is born today should be a generation without tobacco”.

Her goal, she said, was to prevent young people from starting to smoke, and “for these people the plain packaging has an impact”.