Hong Kong mandates plain cigarette packaging from March to curb tobacco appeal

Hong Kong will mandate plain packaging for cigarettes and specified cigars starting March, stripping away brand logos and decorative elements in a bid to curb the visual appeal of tobacco products.

Nine-month transition before full enforcement

The Department of Health announced the new rules on Thursday, setting a nine-month transition period that will run until December, when full enforcement begins. All retail packs of cigarettes, long cigarette boxes and specified cigars must eliminate brand logos and advertising elements under the regulation. Only brand and variant names printed in a prescribed font will be allowed, displayed in standardised plain brown on the packaging.

Making tobacco "less attractive"

Manny Lam Man-chung, head of the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, said the measure aims to reduce tobacco's appeal, pointing to a 2023 Chinese University of Hong Kong study in which 79.8 per cent of smokers surveyed said plain packaging made cigarettes less attractive. "The measure will weaken brand effects, stop consumers underestimating health risks, and make the graphic health warnings more prominent and effective," Lam said.

The city will also update health warnings on packs as part of the reform.

International evidence cited

Lam noted that 27 countries and regions, including Australia, Canada and France, have already adopted standardised packaging. He cited an Australian national cohort study showing quit attempts rose from 20.2 per cent to 26.6 per cent within a year after Australia implemented plain packaging in 2012.

The policy forms part of Hong Kong's broader strategy to reduce smoking rates across the territory.

Source: South China Morning Post