Cigarette Package Law To Be Reviewed

Cigarette package law to be brought forward before election 21 January 2015 UK Politics How the standardized packets may look The government has said it will press ahead with the introduction of non-branded cigarette packaging in England, introducing legislation before May's general election.
It follows a series of public consultations on the issue.
Public Health Minister Jane Ellison told MPs the move was likely to have a positive impact on public health, particularly for children.
Labor has already pledged to ban images on packets if they win power. And doctors say the move would save thousands of lives.

The BBC's health editor Hugh Pym said the changes could come into force as soon as 2016 if Parliament passes legislation before the end of March.
'Not complacent' Ms Ellison said all the evidence pointed to the step having a positive impact - although she warned of a potential legal challenge from the cigarette industry
which strongly opposes the move.
"We cannot be complacent. We all know the damage smoking does to health," she said in Parliament.
"This government is completely committed to protecting children from the harm that tobacco causes. That's why I'm announcing that we will be bringing forward legislation for standardized packaging before the end of
this Parliament."
About 600 children take up smoking in the UK every year, the government says
Professor Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, welcomed the move.
"I have reviewed all the evidence, and agree that standardized packaging would be a positive move for public health, particularly the role it could play in helping to prevent the uptake of smoking by children," she said.
"We have seen smoking rates decline, but smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable mortality. We need to keep up our efforts on tobacco control and standardized packaging is an important part of that."
'Gross infringement' But the Institute of Economic Affairs, a free market think tank, said it was a "gross infringement of the right of companies to use their trademarks and design their own packaging".
"There is no need to wonder what will happen next. We need only look at Australia where the black market has grown and youth smoking has risen," said the IEA's Christopher Snowdon.
If passed, the legislation would apply to England, but Ms Ellison said she hoped that the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland would also follow suit.
The Department of Health said the proposed design of the standardized packs had yet to be decided but released some examples of how they may look.
Australia became the first country to ban all images - apart from public health warnings - from cigarette packs in December 2012.