Last summer, Australia took the bold step in eliminating all recognisable branding from cigarette packaging. The UK is likely to follow suit within the year. Branding is now widely recognised as a significant factor in attracting people, particularly children, to become new smokers.

The plain Australian packaging included an olive drab background along with graphic images of diseases related to. The British Government is likely to announce the legislation in May.

In a 2009 paper, the University of Stirling Centre for Tobacco Control Research suggested the removal of branding from cigarette packaging, “The review found that tobacco industry is exploiting the pack as a medium for advertising the product and reinforcing the brand. It is therefore concluded that generic packaging is an essential next step.”

Cancer Research UK has for years been at the forefront of lobbying for plain packaging to prevent influence by branding on the 175,000 children who begin smoking each year. While Australia led the way in eliminating cigarette branding, only a few countries have followed suit, though many are debating the decision.

This week, EU health ministers met in Dublin to discuss the tobacco industry in Europe. The EU health commissioner said, “Tobacco products should look like tobacco products...and it should taste like tobacco.” The minister of health in the Republic of Ireland, James Reilly, made a statement regarding the influence of attractive and stylish branding on young people, particularly on young girls. Ireland enacted the plain packaging scheme on February 1.