The Network for Consumer Protection said cigarettes and other tobacco products in Pakistan should be sold in plain packages. The statement came after a ruling in Australia’s highest court required tobacco products to be sold in plain packages.
Australia’s plain package law, enacted last year, has been challenged by four tobacco companies. It was established in hopes that plainer packaging will make children less likely to be influenced by misleading terms such as “smooth,” “gold,” and “silver.”
The organization said that suing plain packaging will make the pictorial warnings more effective and reduce false beliefs about the harmfulness of cigarettes.
According to the Tribune, cigarette packs sold in the country are currently required to have 40% of the area covered with a pictorial warning, which is much less than The Network’s recommended coverage area of at least 75% on the front of the pack.
Pakistan restricts mass media advertisement of tobacco and therefore industries turn to shops, decorating them with promotional material.
In Australia tobacco giants such as Philip Morris say the regulations are in violation of their intellectual property rights by not allowing them to use their trademarks. Attorneys in Thailand note that graphic and disturbing images are mandated by Thai law to be one cigarette packages in Thailand. However, there are no restrictions on the use of company trademarks on cigarette packaging in Thailand.
{ 0 comments… add one now }