Plain Packaging Can Curtail Tobacco Use
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
“What’s your brand?”
It’s a common refrain among smokers who’d walk a mile for a Camel or fumble in their purse for some Virginia Slims to satisfy. But evidence is starting to suggest that stripping cigarettes of their branding might be a key to reducing tobacco usage.
The federal government has tried to curtail tobacco companies’ branding efforts for years. That’s why you won’t see commercials for Winstons on TV and those glossy full-page ads for Kools in magazines are nonetheless emblazoned with the Surgeon General’s stark warning.
A number of things are to account for the decline in tobacco use among American consumers (besides, of course, the inevitable decline in actual tobacco users). One is awareness of how detrimental cigarettes are to an individual’s health. Another is the fact that a lot of public policy has focused on making smoking inconvenient, with bans on smoking in offices expanded to other public areas, such as parks and sports venues. Increased taxes on cigarettes (according to studies, every 50 percent increase in the price of tobacco leads to a 20 percent drop in consumption) and the social stigma of engaging in a practice that is so harmful to oneself — and others — also have played a part.
Globally, nations have tried different approaches to curtailing tobacco use. Bhutan, a kingdom in the Himalayas, banned smoking completely in 2005. But an edict is one thing and results are another; smoking rates in the nation have changed little during the past 10 years since the ban was put in place.
Australia, however, might be on to something. There, all cigarettes — regardless of brand — come from the same nondescript, brown package. A bit of lettering on top denotes the brand. Most prominent on the package are graphic pictures of cancerous body parts and other anti-tobacco images.
These not-subtle reminders of the long-term consequences of tobacco use may be working — in December 2014, Australia recorded its lowest-ever recorded smoking rate, falling from 18 percent in 2004 to less than 13 percent today.
So, what’s your brand? The one with mouth cancer, emphysema or blindness?