(i) Reaction to plain packaging
Plain packaging ploy likely to go up in smoke
The Australian (Australia), 29 April 2010
Turning public debate from the failed emissions trading scheme to universally despised tobacco emissions is a media masterstroke from Kevin Rudd, but the cost could leave a singe in taxpayers' pockets. During the government's announcement of plain packaging for cigarettes, Rudd and Health Minister Nicola Roxon celebrated it as a world first because no other government has taken similar action.
No plain wrap
Daily Telegraph (Australia), 4 January 2010
Simon Beynon believes that "packaging does not
determine whether you smoke or
not, if it does anything it
determines what brand you smoke".
Smoking business owner hurt by policies
Caboolture News (Australia), 23 December 2009
Tobacconist Prakash Balia understands
why the government and health organisations
would dearly love him and his fellow shop owners
to shut up for good.
Lord Mandelson stubs out plans for plain cigarette packets
London Evening Standard (UK), 18 December 2009
A challenge by Lord Mandelson has delayed the Government's new anti-smoking strategy.
Health Taskforce wishes you all a long, dull life with nanny
Institute of Public Affairs (Australia), 2 September 2009
Tim Wilson of the Institute of Public Affairs calls the just released National Preventative Health Taskforce report a monument to why elites think the average Australian needs a nanny to hold their hand through daily life.
Nanna says no
The Age (Australia), 12 July 2009
Josh Gordon, The Sunday Age's national political reporter, discusses whether some of the public health measures proposed by the National Preventative Health Taskforce, including plain packaging, are justifiable.
Plain packaging: Considering plain packaging tobacco products is one thing, but the conferring of the proposed legislative powers is another
The Times (UK), 24 April 2009
Christopher Morcom QC writes to the Editor to offer his views that there would have to be cogent evidence to justify the imposition of a requirement for plain packaging, which would have the effect of destroying intellectual property rights.
Pledge to stop law on plain cigarette packets
The Observer (UK), 1 March 2009
The UK's largest tobacco company has warned it will take legal action against the government if it introduces a law forcing the firm to package cigarettes in plain white cartons.
Blank packs "will aid black market"
The Grocer (UK), 9 June 2008
Cigarette packets with no branding or logos could damage competition and may exacerbate the illicit tobacco market, industry experts have warned.
(ii) Illicit trade in tobacco products
Eight million cigarettes seized in Dublin
RTÉ (Ireland), 1 January 2010
Officers from Revenue's Custom service in Dublin this morning seized eight million cigarettes with a value of €3.1m.
Crackdown on counterfeit and underage tobacco sales
North West Evening Mail News (UK), 31 October 2009
Trading Standards has vowed to stamp down on counterfeit cigarettes and underage sales following the conviction of a man who sold fake cigarettes to kids from his ice cream van.
20 million cigarettes seized at port
East Anglia Daily Times, 13 November 2009
An estimated 20 million illegal and suspected counterfeit cigarettes have been seized after coming in Britain through the Port of Felixstowe, it emerged today.
Seizure of illegal cigarettes in Louth largest in history of State
Irish Times, 28 October 2009
The largest seizure of contraband cigarettes in Ireland was made in Greenore, County Louth, on a ship carrying up to 120 million cigarettes which had left the Philippines for Ireland last month.
EU fights flow of contraband cigarettes from east
AFP, 11 February 2010
Seizures of contraband cigarettes exploded in the European Union from 4.4 billion units in 2005 to 5.2 billion in 2008, according to the latest figures from OLAF.