A campaigner for the plain packaging of cigarettes says since its introduction in Australia, attitudes towards smoking have changed, and cigarette sales fallen.
Australia was the first country to introduce mandatory plain packaging for cigarettes. Photo: REUTERS
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Australia introduced mandatory plain packaging in 2012 - the first country to do so.
Mike Daube from the Australian Council on Smoking and Health said plain packaging turned a cigarette from a glossy fashion accessory into something ugly.
"The year after plain packaging, cigarette sales fell by 3.4 percent. We've seen smoking prevalence fall from 15.1 percent to 12.8 percent, we've seen the age of uptake of smoking increasing, smokers are smoking less per week."
A bill introducing plain cigarette packaging in New Zealand has passed its first reading in Parliament.