The neutral package in France is not for now. The Senate Social Affairs Committee rejected the bill on Wednesday, July 22, adopting an amendment instead. The latter proposes to follow the European directive which plans to increase the size of health warnings on packages. Spearhead of the Minister of Health, Marisol Touraine, in his anti-smoking plan, the neutral package project provided for in the future Health Act aroused the anger of tobacconists.
Many of them mobilized that same day in front of the Senate. Sirens, smoke, firecrackers, whistles and signs, they have gone to great lengths to show their discontent. According to them, the plain package is an ineffective measure to reduce cigarette consumption but would reduce the State’s tax revenue, develop parallel markets and endanger their activity.
An anti-marketing weapon
For anti-smoking, the standardization of the package is on the contrary an effective weapon. If the project had been adopted, the cigarette packs would all have been the same color, a khaki green in France, without a logo. The brand name would be kept, but written in small. Finally, the health warnings would cover most of the package. Off-putting color and spine-chilling photos, the goal is to discourage smokers and deter others, especially young people, to start smoking.
The neutral package has been in force in Australia since December 2012. Ireland and Great Britain decided at the beginning of the year to adopt it in 2016/2017 and Hungary will implement it in 2016. France, as for she has not said her last word. The text presenting this draft should be presented again to the Assembly in September. In case of disagreement with the senators, the final decision would rest with the deputies, who had already adopted it in April.
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