BAT Having to Shadow Box Plain Packaging

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 03/17/2011

British American Tobacco is as one with the UK government's declaration that it wants to examine all of the evidence surrounding plain tobacco packaging, but there is a problem. "The Government has said it has 'an open mind' on plain packaging and 'wants to hear views' but there is currently no policy proposal to respond to," said a company spokesperson. "We support their decision to ensure that there is robust evidence to demonstrate that plain packaging would have a public health benefit as well as the need to carefully explore the competition, trade and legal implications of any policy decision. "It's important to make clear that there is no evidence to suggest that plain packaging would have any impact on smoking uptake by young people. In fact, all the research over many decades points at peer pressure being the main reason children start smoking. "The unintended consequences of introducing plain packaging could make cigarettes more accessible to children at a time when youth smoking is at an all-time low at 6 per cent." Counterfeiters currently were having to go to some trouble to match pack colours and designs so as to trick their customers into thinking they were getting the real thing; and they often got it wrong, making detection of fakes easier, the company said. But if the government insisted cigarettes were sold in plain packs, it would be like Christmas for counterfeiters and the criminal gangs who smuggled cigarettes into the UK. "Criminals selling counterfeits have no problem selling their cigarettes to children, the spokesperson said. "Our concern is a policy designed to make tobacco less accessible to children could end up having the opposite effect. "Plain packaging would prevent companies from using valuable corporate assets and risk placing governments in breach of various legal obligations relating to intellectual property rights, international trade and European law. It would also set a dangerous regulatory precedent for brands owned and used by other industries. "We have made it clear that we will take every action necessary to protect our valuable brands, our right to compete as a legitimate commercial business selling a legal product." The company added that the decision to introduce a ban on the display of tobacco products in shops was not justified because there was no reliable evidence suggesting it would lower smoking rates or stop young people from starting to smoke. "We believe an 'under the counter' culture will serve to increase the black market by blurring the line between legitimate and illicit cigarettes, making it harder to reinforce the message that smuggling, counterfeit and piracy are crimes," the spokesperson said. "The Government already accepts that the illegal trade makes cigarettes more accessible to children, often at pocket money prices. "Recent official estimates are that 13 per cent of cigarettes and 56 per cent of hand-rolling tobacco sales in the UK are illicit. Cross-border shopping takes the figures to 21 per cent and 67 per cent respectively." Enditem