Introduction of Standardized Cigarette Packaging Essential to Curb Smoking

Introduction of Standardized Cigarette Packaging Essential to Curb SmokingSubmitted by Sumit Yayavar on Wed, 01/15/2014 - 08:46 

Getting rid of bad habits such as smoking is not easy. It also takes life of many people every year. As per public health authority of England, plain packaging for cigarettes is ‘the right policy for the country’. This will help in shielding children from the harmful effects of smoking.
Public Health England (PHE) said plain packaging is necessary because it will not attract young people towards smoking. This could even increase the chances to quit smoking among current smokers.
PHE is influenced with the fact that standardized packaging plays an important role in decreasing the number of smokers.

Quitting smoking improves the health and wellbeing of young people and also decreases number premature deaths caused due to smoking. This has been affirmed by Professor Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at PHE.
Last summer, the government postponed the introduction of standardized packaging for cigarettes. An independent analysis, led by the leading paediatrician Sir Cyril Chantler, was announced to find out whether such rule and regulations will really affect the number of current smokers or not.
The assessment report was launched in November and will be reported in March. Standardized packaging was introduced in Australia in 2012. After the introduction of suck packaging, it has been found that phone calls to the country’s quit smoking helpline increased by 78% immediately.