19 April 2012 – Immediate Release

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) NZ

ASH Welcomes Minister Turia’s Tobacco Plain Packaging Plans for New Zealand

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) welcome Minister Turia’s announcement that there will be a public consultation on tobacco plain packaging.

ASH Director Ben Youdan said: “The Government has a goal for New Zealand to be smokefree by 2025, and plain packs are the inevitable next step. The tobacco companies are on the ropes."

“There is simply no excuse to keep pretending this is a regular consumer product that needs attractive brands. Killing off branding takes us a step closer to treating cigarettes like the deadly drug they are”

“Inevitably the tobacco companies will be firing up their legal teams to challenge this, and we hope the Government see past what amounts to little more than bully boy threats designed to waste time and money” said Youdan.

- ENDS -

© Scoop Media