Plain packaging of cigarettes.

[Super Nova]

This is all over the news last night here in pmmie land.

What's this about makign it illegal to smoke if you are born after a certain date.?

Is this the first step to making tobacco an underground ilegal drug.

[Neferti]

Some clever Gold Coast company has come up with the idea to produce stickers to cover up the health warnings, etc. on the new "plain packets" of ciggies. The AMA are up in arms about it, apparently.

Once a smoker buys a packet of cigarettes, surely it is up to them to do what ever they like with the packet? Perhaps the old cigarette cases will make a return in popularity? I had one of those years ago.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-13/c ... ng/4424952

[mellie]

I can only speak for myself after recently having commenced smoking again only to discover my once preferred brand of cigarette, Dunhill blues, which to my horror no longer comes with a resealable foil casing is now being sold in an ordinary packet.

To my way of thinking, this was a clever way for this tobacco company to cut-back on production costs, as the price hasn't changed since they decided to sell them in a more traditional and plain packet to comply with government legislation.

So who wins again?



The thing is, it suits our tobacco companies to pay less for production costs though charge the same for their product.

Bit of a tax-break only without the tax.

One our government had a hand in I'm sure.


There was absolutely no need for Dunhill to remove their re-sealable foil from the 'new' plain packaging, one cant see it afterall, so there's no prestige associated with it.

So why did they?

And how much have other tobacco companies made on producing a cheaper packet also?

I have seen adults and youth out and about now using trendy cigarette cases, now more than ever to cover-up the ugly images splashed across the packets, so tell me, how is this going to work?

If people want to smoke, they will smoke, they wont care about plain packaging what so ever, which a quirky friend of mine found so comical/ridiculous they've began cutting out the images from these ghastly cigarette packets to make a collage in mockery of our governments ridiculous legislation.

[mellie]

Can someone morph Julia Gillards face onto a cigarette packet please.

Because only then will I contemplate never smoking again!!!!!

[Neferti]

I used to smoke Dunhill Infinite (White) or whatever they are called. I gave up years ago but wondered what the new packet looked like so asked the girl at Woollies to show me. I had to really think hard to recall what brand I used to smoke. They are now $18 a packet!!!

I remember when they first started putting warnings on packets, such as "Smoking will harm your baby", "smoking can cause heart attacks", etc. We used to go in and ask for a packet and add "don't want the ones that give you heart attacks", or whatever. It was a big joke!

As you say, people will smoke regardless of what is on the packet, it is what is inside the packet that counts, when you intimate with your friend "Nic". Kids will still start smoking, they don't realise how addictive the bloody things are.

I have known people who gave up smoking for 10 years and then took them up again. It would be so easy to do.

[mellie]

I started smoking when I was nursing, (before this it was only social) because everyone I worked with would go off on break and have a smoke, there didn't seem like there was enough time to line-up in the hospital cafeteria and buy a meal so we'd have a coffee and a smoke instead.

Certain professions have the disadvantage of a distinct 'smoking' culture attached to them.
Things are improving with younger non-smoking nurses coming through, though there's still quite a lot of nurses who smoke compared to other professions.

And as disgraceful as this sounds, we almost felt entitled to smoke, I know I did.

Bottom line... if taking care of people dying of smoking related disease is not enough of a deterrent to stop some from smoking, then I hardly think a few ghoulish images on a plain cigarette packet will do the trick.

[boxy]

You could look at the evidence that has started accumulating, showing that it does work (to a degree... we are dealing with an addictive substance, after all).

[mellie]

You could look at the evidence that has started accumulating, showing that it does work (to a degree... we are dealing with an addictive substance, after all).

What evidence Boxy, isn't it a tad premature?

[boxy]

Try google, it's your friend.

Trends in the data show that in comparison with branded packaging, plain packaging increased negative perceptions and feelings about the pack and about smoking. Plain packaging also increased avoidant behaviour (hiding the pack, covering the pack), certain smoking cessation behaviours, such as smoking less around others and forgoing cigarettes, and thinking about quitting. Almost half (n=8) of those in the post-study interview, predominantly women (n=6), reported that the use of plain packs had either increased avoidant behaviour or reduced consumption.

[mellie]

Try google, it's your friend.

Trends in the data show that in comparison with branded packaging, plain packaging increased negative perceptions and feelings about the pack and about smoking. Plain packaging also increased avoidant behaviour (hiding the pack, covering the pack), certain smoking cessation behaviours, such as smoking less around others and forgoing cigarettes, and thinking about quitting. Almost half (n=8) of those in the post-study interview, predominantly women (n=6), reported that the use of plain packs had either increased avoidant behaviour or reduced consumption.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Naturalistic Observation/research .....

http://www.omnilogos.com/2012/03/12/nat ... servation/

..bare in mind, this is only a pilot study, this and the results are quite subjective, this is subject to individual interpretation.

You should have read the article prior to attempting to use it as a source Boxy.



Furthermore..

CONCLUSIONS:
This pilot naturalistic study suggests that plain packaging could potentially help reduce tobacco consumption among some young adult smokers, and women in particular. Employing an innovative research methodology, the findings of this study are consistent with, and indeed support, past plain packaging research.

Gosh, even the author has acknowledged the limitations their own research findings, hence the word "could" , ...as in could potentially help reduce tobacco consumption.
This however isn't to say that it "does" and or "Will".... much less "has".

You moron boxy.