Cigarettes are something people use who want to relax or settle their nerves. But they are not always good for our health and sometimes, these lead to diseases. The European Union, or EU, set up new standards for cigarette packs to keep people safe and young generations away from smoking. The purpose of these rules above all is to render cigarette packs less exciting and attractive, so that young individuals are less inclined to start smoking.
The unfussy font will appear on cigarette packs right across the country, after a set of new rules was introduced to ensure they are all as plain and simple as possible. That is why they can no longer use their brand names in colourful logos and flashy designs on packs of cigarettes. Indeed, all cigarette packs in the EU will actually look pretty much the same as each other Using a visual designed to depict the negative effects of smoking, they will be dark brown in color and uninspiring. The former may comprise images of very serious heath conditions from lung cancer to yellow teeth. As one of the largest image on pack there is, it will be difficult for companies to show off their brand or presentively make their products look good.
This is not the EU's first membership-wide tobacco law on smuggling, with some of these limitations for cigarette packing having been in effect across several countries by 2016. Plain packaging has a very well-documented effect on cigarette sales and this is proven in various studies. Packs can be much less attractive to young people when they are not colorfully branded. This leads to less young people taking up smoking and smoke in general declines. This is something good; it prevents the health of young people.
What is also interesting about plain packaging, though, is that it had a similar impact on the people who smoked already. Research has suggested that smokers using no-brand cigarette packs are more likely to have intention to quit smoking in contrast with those continuing use of branded packs. And that is than plain packaging can serve as an additional way to get people tp quit smoking, and ultimately contributing towards better health.
Smoking habits can vary greatly between different countries since, well Europe is a really big region! Still, some broad trends in smoking can be observed. More than 1 in four people smoke smoking prevalence is highest globally among men (29%) and women Europe are most likely to smoke, particularly eastern males where over half of the population smokes. In contrast, the proportion of smokers is lowest in Sweden and Finland – fewer than 15% smoke in north European countries. Variations such as these in smoking prevalence underline the importance of tobacco control at an appropriate geographical level—be it city, state or country.
New rules aside, how and what cigarette companies come up with next to sell their products. The recent cigarette packaging regulations have added to the difficulty, but they also challenge these firms in a new way. In the meantime, some companies are pushing back with social media campaigns to showcase their products in a new light — or enlisting Instagram influencers and models to make smoking look cool again.
What's more, the new rules have also led tobacco companies to order some alternative nicotine products. Particularly companies like Philip Morris and British American Tobacco are investing heavily in e-cigarettes and other lower-risk nicotine products for the erstwhile cigarette smokers. Even big tobacco knows that smoking is dangerous to your health, and asthey have tried time after time to create less unhealthy substances than those concocted in cigarettes.
