Drugs/Therapy

France Set to Introduce Plain Cigarette Packs

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Sep 26, 2014 09:39 AM EDT

France will be the second nation to join in on anti-smoking policies that will change how cigarettes are sold. The government recently announced its plan to redesign the cigarette packages to a plain, white box. The proposal also includes new bans on e-cigarette marketing and bans on smoking in certain areas.

"In France, 13 million adults smoke every day, and it is getting worse," Health Minister, Marisol Touraine said reported by the Wall Street Journal. "The number of smokers is growing, especially among young people."

The biggest change will be in the packaging. Instead of the brand being plastered across the box, there will be a huge graphic health warning about the dangers of smoking. Under this warning, the cigarette brand will be printed in small letters. This type of packaging is similar to the ones created in Australia back in 2012. Those packages neutralized cigarette brands by requiring all tobacco companies to use of the same size and color.

On top of this change, the government will ban smoking in cars if there is a child under 12-years-old present. Smokers will also be banned from lighting up in areas where children commonly go to, such as parks. For e-cigarettes, the new policy will prevent manufacturers from advertising their products.

The latest proposals, according to the Touraine, were in the making for two years. Touraine stated that the country's goal is to have the first generation of non-smokers by the mid 2030s.

"We have set an ambitious goal: to succeed in making children born today the first 'non-smoking' generation in 20 years," Touraine said in a statement reported by Reuters.

Around 30 percent of the nation's population smoke. Although this rate has fallen over the years, an estimated 73,000 people still died due to tobacco-related causes.

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