Plain Packaging Options for Non-Cigarette Tobacco Products
The Australian Government’s proposed approach to implement plain packaging for non-cigarette tobacco products such as cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco and pipe tobacco has been released for public consultation.
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The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
3 October 2011The Gillard Government’s proposed approach to implement plain packaging for non-cigarette tobacco products such as cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco and pipe tobacco has been released for public consultation.
Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon explained the consultation paper details how the world’s toughest laws on tobacco promotion will be implemented for non-cigarette tobacco products.
“Whether you are talking about cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco, all are addictive and all are harmful,” Ms Roxon said.
“We want Australia’s approach to the implementation of plain packaging for non-cigarette tobacco products to be as close as possible to the plain packaging requirements for cigarettes.
“The consultation paper proposes retail packaging for non-cigarette tobacco products in the same drab, dark-brown colour that cigarette products will have — and the same ban on the use of tobacco industry branding, logos, symbols and other images on the packaging.
“Non-cigarette tobacco products are packaged in many kinds of tubes, bags, boxes and tins and many of these products have only a small market in Australia. In recognition of this, a variety of packaging options are covered in the paper,” Ms Roxon said.
The consultation paper proposes that adhesives to cover non-compliant packaging be allowed for non-cigarette tobacco products. It also discusses options for how the brand and variant name of the product may be displayed in plain text on the packaging and how new, plain cigar bands could cover their existing bands.
“Covering bands for cigars could still provide plain-text details of the brand, variant and country-of-manufacture,” Ms Roxon said.
The consultation paper is being released for a four-week consultation period. Interested parties and individuals have been invited to provide written submissions commenting on the paper by 5pm on 28 October.
After the consultation process, the Government will finalise its regulations for non-cigarette tobacco products — before commencement of the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 on 1 January 2012.
The latest consultation paper is available at www.yourhealth.gov.au
This follows an earlier 60-day consultation process on Australia’s overall approach to plain packaging that ran until June.
A separate consultation process on the proposed updated and expanded health warnings is currently being undertaken by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Information about this process is available at http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/989093
For all media inquiries, please contact the Minister's Office on 02 6277 7220
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