“Get ready for Plain Packaging”

This year the World Health Organisation has chosen the theme “Get ready for Plain Packaging” for World No Tobacco Day. This is enshrined in Article 11 & 13 of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of WHO. It calls on member countries to adopt it to reduce tobacco use and its related health risks. So what is all about Plain packaging? In short, it is the standardisation of shape and size of tobacco products and it is an important demand reduction measure for the following reasons. It reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products. It increases the effect of pictorial health warning. It also restricts the Tobacco industries to use the packaging and label as an excuse for advertising their products. After Tobacco advertisement is banned in most of the countries, the Tobacco Industries have found a new way to advertise their products by turning the packages into mini billboard which effectively promotes their products. They use their brand logos to make appeal to the different group of people. Philip Morris marketing presentation in 1994 stated: “Our final communication vehicle with our smoker is the pack itself. In the absence of any other marketing messages, our packaging is the sole communicator of our brand essence”. So the pack becomes the primary communication vehicle for tobacco companies and in order to be relevant to the target consumers they tried to generate the optimum level of modernity,youthful image in the pack itself. The rugged horseman “The Marlboro Man” has the record of being the most valuable brand and image in the world. This brand nearly turned the whole baby boom generation of American into tobacco addiction. The young smokers usually associate cigarette brand names and package design with positive personal image like masculine characteristics, social identity and liberation. Thus packaging has the potential of creating misconception about the health risk of tobacco products. By decreasing the number of design elements on cigarette packs the appeal and perceptions about the likely enjoyment and desirability of smoking is reduced. With plain packaging, the packs will come with standard size and shape and no more super slim or lipstick pack which target women The plain packaging of tobacco products would increase the salience of health warnings, make the packaging less attractive, and reduce the propensity of packaging to mislead consumers about the harmful effects of tobacco products.Australia implemented legislation on Plain Packaging in 2012 and was the first country to do so. In February 2016 the Australian Government released a review confirming that plain packaging was responsible for one quarter of the decline in smoking in Australia in the previous three years. Britain and France have implemented the legislation in last two weeks. Northern Ireland also passed a law on this in 2015 to implement it 2016.Plain packaging was an election issue in Canadian Federal election in 2015 and the Prime minister is determined to implement it in the earliest possible. More countries will follow in the days to come and we hope this will draw the attention of policy makers in India. The fight against tobacco industries in India is a difficult one. But the recent passage of Juvenile justice (Care and protection of children) Act 2015 and the latest notification from ministry of Health and Family Welfare Govt. of India are encouraging. The attractive packages of tobacco and pan masala products are luring thousands of our children into tobacco addiction in our own backyard. With political will, the state government cando something at its own level to tackle this tobacco menace as it is done in other states. The tobacco prevalence is already too high in our state and we are going to feel the full impact of tobacco epidemic not very far from now. We should do everything possible within our power to change this dangerous trend. Australian story is but inspiring and it should become a reality in India sooner than later.

By;-Dr C Tetseo BDS PGD (HP) Tobacco Control.