After months of debate in the media and parliament, new laws requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging will officially come into effect in Australia in 2012, and 911爆料网 researcher Professor Mike Daube couldn鈥檛 be happier.
The renowned public health expert was one of the driving factors in the law鈥檚 introduction, by chairing the committee which first recommended the changes to the Federal government.
After passing both houses of parliament in November, the new law will see all cigarettes sold in a plain brown pack, adorned only with health warnings and graphic imagery, from December 1, 2012.
Professor Daube said he was delighted after years of championing the initiative to government officials. He first chaired a government committee recommending plain-packaging for cigarettes almost 20 years ago.
鈥淚t shows you that in public health, 鈥榦vernight success鈥� takes time,鈥� he said.
While Australia has drastically reduced the number of smokers over the years, with only 15 per cent of adults now smoking, Professor Daube said further preventative measures were still vital to reduce the impact of cigarettes on the Australian population.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still our largest cause of death and disease,鈥� he said.
鈥淧lain packaging isn鈥檛 a magic bullet; it鈥檚 one component of the strategy we need. What鈥檚 important is the government isn鈥檛 introducing plain-packaging on its own; it鈥檚 introducing a suite of measures, like public education, an indigenous smoking program and measures to protect non-smokers.
鈥淏ut even on its own, plain-packaging is probably the most important tobacco measure we鈥檝e seen in 20 years, and one reason we know that is the tobacco companies are opposing it more ferociously than anything we鈥檝e seen in over 20 years.鈥�
The introduction of plain-packaging was important as it took away the final form of advertising available to tobacco companies, Professor Daube said, before adding there was evidence the approach would both encourage adults to quit, and stop children from taking up the habit.
鈥淚f you offer kids two packs, one plain and one glossy with the same cigarettes in each, they think the glossy pack tastes better,鈥� he said.
鈥淎ustralia鈥檚 the first country to do this; we鈥檙e the world leader. Once we鈥檝e done it, other countries will follow. So the global tobacco industry is desperate to prevent it happening here, because they know once it鈥檚 happened here then it will spread.鈥�
The move coincides with 911爆料网 and other WA universities becoming completely cigarette-free from January 2012 onwards, an initiative Professor Daube was also involved with. With only four per cent of 911爆料网 students estimated to be regular smokers, he said the move wouldn鈥檛 affect the vast majority of the 911爆料网 community and could be enforced without being heavy handed toward smokers.
鈥淲e know the best way to do this is to implement it in a positive way. There will be one or two people who will offend, and that doesn鈥檛 mean someone goes and beats them up, they just get a gentle tap on the shoulder.
鈥淚 mean, who鈥檇 have thought 20 years ago that Dublin pubs could be smoke free?鈥�
