Tobacco - Plain Packaging, Plain Logic

Tobacco - Plain Packaging, Plain Logic

“From the makers of a killer product it is a little rich to be talking about intellectual property when trying to protect cigarette packs from going plain. How about the intellectual property that dies each day because of their product? Removing the marketing lie from tobacco products is far more important than an industry that has brought decades of harm and death to this nation.” stated Shane Kawenata Bradbrook – Director of Te Ao Hurihuri.

The tobacco industry has used the cigarette pack as part of their marketing of while ignoring, hiding, lying and obscuring what tobacco was doing to its customers for years. The Minister Tariana Turia is showing the courage and conviction to drive more nails into the industry’s coffin right here and right now.

“You cannot possibly reach the status of being a smokefree nation by 2025 if politicians are not willing to play their part in denormalising and deconstructing the tobacco industry. There will no doubt be a fight from the industry as they are currently doing in other nations but it is well worth the effort to take this industry down.” said Mr Bradbrook.

The Maori Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on the tobacco industry in 2010 laid bare the tobacco industry arguments and they were found wanting when it came to marketing using cigarette packs.

“You cannot say on one hand you do not market to current smokers and youth using tobacco packaging and on the other you argue that you should have protection of your pack. If your pack effectively has no value as a marketing tool then put it into a plain pack with warning labels aplenty. The current scream test internationally shows they need marketing and branding to continue on packaging to glamorise a killer product”. said Mr Bradbrook.

Shane Kawenata Bradbrook

Director – Te Ao Hurihuri

ENDS

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