Charity Action on Smoking and Health calls for ban on glossy tobacco marketing

Public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in Wales has called for a ban on glossy tobacco marketing aimed at teenage girls.

ASH used World No Tobacco Day on Friday May 31 to pressure the UK Government to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products.

Welsh health minister Mark Drakeford has signalled his support for standard packaging and has written to the UK government urging it to introduce such a move.

According to World Health Organisation figures, 16 per cent of 15-year-old girls in Wales smoke at least once a week compared with 11 per cent of 15-year-old boys.

A YouGov survey for ASH Wales in 2013 has also revealed that two thirds of the Welsh public now want to see standard packs for tobacco.

Chief Executive of ASH Wales Elen de Lacy said: “If the tobacco companies didn’t think attractive packaging had any influence on young people, their biggest target, why do they spend millions of pounds on this sort of marketing every year? Because it works.

“We spoke to schoolgirls aged between 11 and 15 around Wales who told us that current cigarette packaging made them want to buy the product and that the slim-line varieties would be nice to put in their handbag. They said some of the glossy packaging looked like they contained chewing gum, perfume, posh tissues and even Lego.

“When they were shown a standard pack they said they wouldn’t want to carry that around. One told us the standard pack was “medical looking” and that if cigarettes were sold like that she would be less likely to buy it.

“Pink, shiny boxes and slim-line packs with ‘Vogue’ on the cover are clearly targeted at teenage girls and must be banned. Smoking kills and we must take away the tobacco industry’s last form of advertising.”