Tobacco companies ‘using new techniques’

TOBACCO companies are resorting to new terms and lighter coloured cigarette packets to suggest more benign contents, the anti-smoking group Quit says.

Quit executive director Todd Harper said tobacco companies had agreed to remove the deceptive terms “light” and “mild” from packaging but were still employing the same dirty marketing tricks.

“Tobacco industry documents themselves state that red packs connote strong flavour, green packs connote coolness or menthol, and white packs are suggestive of a low tar cigarette that is sanity and safe,” Mr Harper said today.

“Therefore what we are seeing is the tobacco industry using light colours on certain cigarette packs to create the idea that these brands are more benign than other brands.”

Mr Harper said the solution was plain packaging for all tobacco products and their removal from consumer view at the point of sale.

Quit’s warning comes as the tobacco industry launches a $9 million advertising campaign advising smokers that light and mild cigarettes are not a healthier option.

The campaign follows a lengthy inquiry by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which found the claimed health benefits of low yield cigarettes, compared to high yield cigarettes, were misleading and likely to breach the Trade Practices Act.

Mr Harper said new words like “smooth”, “fresh” and “fine” were now appearing which, coupled with the pack colours and imagery, continued to build on the deception that some cigarettes were safer than others.

He said the only way to defeat these sinister and aggressive marketing strategies was to force the tobacco industry to adopt plain packaging, as well as to remove tobacco products from public view.

“Bans on cigarette products at point of sale have already been introduced in Canada and similar legislation has passed in Iceland and Ireland,” he said.

“Quit now seeks the same provision here.”

Australian Medical Association president Mukesh Haikerwal said the launch of the advertising campaign highlighting the dangers of light and mild cigarettes was welcome but long overdue.

“Tobacco industry efforts to push these products on smokers through slick advertising with the promise that light cigarettes are less harmful than other cigarettes were a dishonest attempt to make the industry look more respectable,” Dr Haikerwal said.

“The ACCC is to be applauded for their investigation into the health claims of these cigarette companies and their subsequent decision that descriptors such as light and mild must be removed from packaging and that companies contribute to the $9 million advertising campaign to raise consumer awareness that low yield cigarettes are not necessarily a healthier option.”

© The Australian