Standardised packaging part of Scottish tobacco control strategy

Scotland is the third nation in the world to set an ambitious target to become tobacco-free – by having less than 5% of the population choosing to smoke by 2034. The aim is part of a new tobacco control strategy, launched to reduce the number of people choosing to smoke. The strategy supports the introduction of standardised packaging and education programmes.
Linda Bauld, Professor of Health Policy, University of Stirling said: "Australia recently introduced plain packaging, but in advance of that there were a number of studies that looked at this issue. We brought these studies together in a recent systematic review of the evidence. “The findings are very consistent and show that plain packaging would reduce the appeal of cigarettes, improve the impact of health warnings on packs and help to reduce misunderstandings about the harmfulness of smoking. “As part of the other actions set out in this strategy, plain packaging will have a key role to play in driving down smoking rates in Scotland in the future."
The Scottish Government will await the UK Government and the other Devolved Administrations’ responses to the UK wide consultation on standardised packaging before deciding on the most appropriate legislative option for introducing this initiative (News Release The Scottish Government, 27 March 2013).