Society/Culture Plain Packaging on Tobacco Has Worked

[Big_Birdy]

Just rang a friend of mine who smokes and asked him to check his packet, yep looks like the old ones and made in Australia. Bought them from Coles?

No idea.

Here is an article written by someone who says he buys them. He may be overstating its prevalence but they must be out there as I have seen them with my own eyes recently,

https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/09/confessions-king-size-criminal/

 

[krisholio14]

No idea.

Here is an article written by someone who says he buys them. He may be overstating its prevalence but they must be out there as I have seen them with my own eyes recently,

https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/09/confessions-king-size-criminal/

I smoke less these days anyway because my teeth are falling out because of it as opposed to price, but here in the Illinois, I can get a carton of top brand smokes for about 65-70 AUD. The same amount of smokes with equivalent in Australia would cost me 160 bucks.

If I go down to Missouri, I can get em for about 55 AUD.

I know I could and should give it up, nevertheless, it just annoys me that the government hides blatant tax grabs behind tokenistic 'public health' measures like smoking bans and plain packaging.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

I smoke less these days anyway because my teeth are falling out because of it as opposed to price, but here in the Illinois, I can get a carton of top brand smokes for about 65-70 AUD. The same amount of smokes with equivalent in Australia would cost me 160 bucks.

If I go down to Missouri, I can get em for about 55 AUD.

I know I could and should give it up, nevertheless, it just annoys me that the government hides blatant tax grabs behind tokenistic 'public health' measures like smoking bans and plain packaging.

Plain packaging and smoking bans are the complete opposite of tax grabs.

 

[krisholio14]

Plain packaging and smoking bans are the complete opposite of tax grabs.

They say that the reason for the high price of smokes is due to the drain of smokers on the health system, and plain packaging etc is their way of 'supporting' that. Really what they want is our money in their pockets.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

They say that the reason for the high price of smokes is due to the drain of smokers on the health system, and plain packaging etc is their way of 'supporting' that. Really what they want is our money in their pockets.

How does plain packaging and bans on smoking increase government revenue from cigarette sales?

 

[krisholio14]

How does plain packaging and bans on smoking increase government revenue from cigarette sales?

Because they use the former as their reasoning for bumping up the price. It's not that hard to understand is it?

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

Because they use the former as their reasoning for bumping up the price. It's not that hard to understand is it?

The two are completely different, increasing taxes will increase revenue, plain packaging does the opposite.

 

[krisholio14]

The two are completely different, increasing taxes will increase revenue, plain packaging does the opposite.

If you believe it works, which I don't.

 

[little graham]

Plain packaging was the final nail in the coffin for the nicotine industry. They could no longer use marketing as a tool.

Evidently the same PR companies that ran disinformation programs for them, for all those years, are also hired by groups against action on global warming.

 

[ydraw]

A dollar? Maybe in 1970 it was... 1985 at school a packet of 15s was about 6 or $7

No it wasn't. I started smoking around 1995 and it was less than that for a pack of 25s.

 

[little graham]

A dollar? Maybe in 1970 it was... 1985 at school a packet of 15s was about 6 or $7

i bought my first ciggies at ingle farm sip and save at kmart in 1981 0r two. A packet of pj 25's, 99 cents.

in 1985 we were buying packets of ten for $1.30. They fitted down our dacks really well, when we were at school.

 

[Jiska]

Look at the stats
'Consumption of tobacco and cigarettes is falling and has fallen sharply since the plain packaging rules were implemented in December 2012.

I can only speak of my personal experience. I started smoking in 1994. I quit this year when my daughter was born. Plain packaging made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. After its introduction, my smoking habits did no change one bit. It was the health concerns with a baby being born that forced me to make the call.

Smoking used to be cool when I started, all my mates smoked. We used to go out clubbing and light up on the dance floor. These days you have to go outside the pub/club to smoke. You have to make a concious decision to stop what you're doing and go out in to the freezing cold to choke down a cigarette.

IMO the decline in taking up smoking has more to do with the lack of social acceptance, the cost and the health concerns which are now a lot more prominent than they were back then.

 

[MrKK]

From the previously sourced article
'in seasonally adjusted volume terms, consumption of tobacco is 5.3 per cent lower in the March quarter 2014 than in the December quarter 2012 when the plain packaging laws were introduced.'
That is a huge drop.

From the comments on that article:
"Stephen, you've accidentally used the Dec 2011 figure. Consumption of tobacco is 2.9% lower since Dec 2012, not 5.3%."

Also from the article tobacco consumption is down 50% from the mid-80s high, so it's really the continuation of a lengthy downward trend.
Plain packaging is just one of many carrot & stick approaches going back decades - it would be near impossible to quantify the impact of just that measure.

 

[Jiska]

From the previously sourced article
'in seasonally adjusted volume terms, consumption of tobacco is 5.3 per cent lower in the March quarter 2014 than in the December quarter 2012 when the plain packaging laws were introduced.'
That is a huge drop.

I'm confused. Are you asking our opinion, as per the OP, or are you trying to change our views/convince us that plain packaging is the reason people have stopped smoking?

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

I can only speak of my personal experience. I started smoking in 1994. I quit this year when my daughter was born. Plain packaging made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. After its introduction, my smoking habits did no change one bit. It was the health concerns with a baby being born that forced me to make the call.

Smoking used to be cool when I started, all my mates smoked. We used to go out clubbing and light up on the dance floor. These days you have to go outside the pub/club to smoke. You have to make a concious decision to stop what you're doing and go out in to the freezing cold to choke down a cigarette.

IMO the decline in taking up smoking has more to do with the lack of social acceptance, the cost and the health concerns which are now a lot more prominent than they were back then.

It is not aimed at addicts, it is designed to stop it looking glamorous to kids.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

I'm confused. Are you asking our opinion, as per the OP, or are you trying to change our views/convince us that plain packaging is the reason people have stopped smoking?

I am giving my opinion.

 

[Jiska]

I know I could and should give it up, nevertheless, it just annoys me that the government hides blatant tax grabs behind tokenistic 'public health' measures like smoking bans and plain packaging.

I don't think Governments hide behind it, not here in Australia anyway. They are very upfront and honest that the tax exists to discourage smokers and goes in to, in part, assisting public health and counter the issued caused by smoking.

 

[Jiska]

I am giving my opinion.

The wording suggests you're trying to argue against our opinions.

 

[Jiska]

IMO the decline in taking up smoking has more to do with the lack of social acceptance, the cost and the health concerns which are now a lot more prominent than they were back then.

It is not aimed at addicts, it is designed to stop it looking glamorous to kids.

 

[krisholio14]

I can only speak of my personal experience. I started smoking in 1994. I quit this year when my daughter was born. Plain packaging made absolutely no difference to me whatsoever. After its introduction, my smoking habits did no change one bit. It was the health concerns with a baby being born that forced me to make the call.

Smoking used to be cool when I started, all my mates smoked. We used to go out clubbing and light up on the dance floor. These days you have to go outside the pub/club to smoke. You have to make a concious decision to stop what you're doing and go out in to the freezing cold to choke down a cigarette.

IMO the decline in taking up smoking has more to do with the lack of social acceptance, the cost and the health concerns which are now a lot more prominent than they were back then.

That's pretty much it for me. Not a single person I know has given up because of the packaging, and if anything, those numbers being mentioned clearly supports what I'm saying.

They try to paint this as a measure that has reduced smoking, when really all it is is window dressing so they can increase the price and sound like they are doing it for 'good' reasons, not cynical ones.

As someone mentioned earlier, price increases to cigarettes has never been a deterrent to people's smoking habits. The government knows this and plays on it.

Certainly what has changed is that you are looked upon as something of a pariah if you smoke these days, and overall, people are much more aware of the long term evils of the habit.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

That's pretty much it for me. Not a single person I know has given up because of the packaging, and if anything, those numbers being mentioned clearly supports what I'm saying.

They try to paint this as a measure that has reduced smoking, when really all it is is window dressing so they can increase the price and sound like they are doing it for 'good' reasons, not cynical ones.

As someone mentioned earlier, price increases to cigarettes has never been a deterrent to people's smoking habits. The government knows this and plays on it.

Certainly what has changed is that you are looked upon as something of a pariah if you smoke these days, and overall, people are much more aware of the long term evils of the habit.

Why would the Government go to all the trouble to introduce plain packaging as a Trojan horse to increase tax on cigarettes, when they can do that anyway?

 

[krisholio14]

Why would the Government go to all the trouble to introduce plain packaging as a Trojan horse to increase tax on cigarettes, when they can do that anyway?

The same reason they do it with a lot of things. Window dressing gets votes.

 

[Sydney Bloods]

it's not anyone thing.

Education
Cost
Age Restrictions
no smoking zones

have all played a part. I support plain packaging of smokes along those gross warning labels. They will do what they are designed to do, further cut down on appeal of smoking which still requires a "cool" image to sell the product. But its a bit soon to say they've already had a large impact.

 

[telsor]

There are several potential causes for this effect. To claim one of them as THE ONE THAT WORKED would need some pretty solid evidence to back it up. Most likely it's a cumulative effect of many factors.

 

[Kynge of Begrem]

There are several potential causes for this effect. To claim one of them as THE ONE THAT WORKED would need some pretty solid evidence to back it up. Most likely it's a cumulative effect of many factors.

Of course, it is not the silver bullet, but it has certainly helped (IN MY OPINION).