Stub out misleading, eye-catching cigarette packets

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health responds to the Government's consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products.

President of The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Hilary Cass, said:

'We know that the tobacco industry deliberately uses "cool" and "bright" cigarette packaging to attract children and young people. It’s also well known that children and teenagers are most impressionable to branding - so it’s no surprise that two thirds of today’s smoking population confirm they took up the habit in childhood or during their early teens.

'Taking up smoking at a young age significantly increases the chances of serious health problems later in life – cancers, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, worsening asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema – resulting in 114,000 deaths every year.

'And with adult smokers admitting they think brands like "smooth" and "gold" are less harmful than others; it is clear that we need to put a stop to misleading packet designs and slogans before impressionable children get pulled in by the industry.

'Packaging needs to be:

• Plain
• Free of misleading descriptors like "smooth" and "gold"
• Provide contact details for stop-smoking helplines
• Include larger health warnings and graphic warnings on both sides of the pack
   

'The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is urging government to stub-out eye-catching designs and prevent our children from developing these deadly illnesses in their adult life.'