Cigarettes 'may be sold in plain brown packs so they are less attractive to children'

[cherryglitter]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/...-so-they-are-less-attractive-to-children.html

What are your views on this?
To be honest, I started smoking when I was about 14, and it wasn't because of the packets being in attractive colours!
It's because I thought it was grown up and 'cool'.

I think they need to attack it from another angle. Putting them in plain packets won't do anything in my opinion!

 

[redpoppy]

I agree. Sticking a huge photo of someone dying MAY help but really kids at about 13 will probably laugh at it and think it makes it cooler. I don't think you can stop kids from smoking unless you appeal to their senses and some will listen whilst others simply won't.

Even if you inform kids that smoking is very addictive, potentially very painfully harmful, it's quite smelly, that it's quite unlikely they'll be able to happily stop once they start and that the high is extremely lame some kids will still smoke.

 

[RainbowDrop_x]

I personally think this will make children more curious..

I started smoking at a young age but for the same reasons as you not because the packets were pretty colours lol.

At 13 if I'd have seen a little brown packet behind a counter and knew I couldn't buy them I would probably have gone out of my way to find someone who would..Just because I would be curious

 

[Scamp]

Its good that they are trying but I don't think changing the packs with do anything tbh
xx

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I dont think it will make a huge difference to be honest x

 

[redpoppy]

I think it would really stress me out if any of my children (I only have one so hypothetically!) smoked. This thread is making me stressed. I need a cigarette. hahah. not really, I don't smoke, but for those that do, what WOULD have convinced you NOT to smoke when you were a teenager?

 

[Wiggler]

I dont think changing the packaging will stop children smoking at all.

I wish someone had told me how much money it costs to smoke, how hard it is to give up and how horrible it feels when people comment on the smell before I started at 14, but then again if someone had told me that, at the age of 14 I wouldn't have listened.

 

[AppleBlossom]

I don't think it' the packaging that attracts kids. It's the nicotine! And the fact that they think it's "cool" If the photos of people with mouth cancer and destroyed lungs on the packets weren't enough to put them off I doubt plain packaging would

 

[dani_tinks]

Yeah it's not about the packet. Thats obvious enough as kids ignore the pictures of what cancer does. They'll do it because they're not meant to, because it's not good for them and because they want to ''rebel''. Its great that they trying to think of new ways to stop people and kids smoking but I doubt this will do much to stop it. Unfortunatley .
I think the only way it'll stop is when cigarettes don't exist, i.e when they stop making them, selling them.

 

[BlackBerry25]

No one cares about the packaging. Usually a kid wouldnt be buying a whole pack to start anyways. They would just bum a loose one off of someone.

I don't think kids will stop smoking?

 

[kiwimama]

They should put some of that horrible tasting nail solution that helps stop nail biting on the ends of cigarettes.
Packages here have had pictures of diseased lungs, cancerous mouths and throats etc, and if that won't deter then plain brown packaging is a waste of time.

 

[cherryglitter]

I don't think anything would've stopped me smoking.
I just thought it was too cool. Obviously I know now, it's not!
I think the way smoking is percieved needs to be changed. Like if it were drummed into it that smoking is this disgusting that costs an absolute fortune...

They should just show OH's sister when she doesn't have fags or money to get fags, she's a nightmare.
She'd do anything and she's almost nearly crying when she can't have one!

I find it really disturbing lol!

 

[HannahGraceee]

I smoked because i thought it was the coolest biggest thing i could do not because of the packaging

i would rarely buy a pack of 10/20 on my own when i was 14-16 mainly just by 1 o 2 from who eever was selling x

 

[redpoppy]

so maybe adverts which show adults talking about how they though smoking was cool and now they realise they can't stop, that it's too expensive, that they become ratty when they can't have one and that it's smelly?

And maybe make sure the people talking aren't cool.

 

[cherryglitter]

Hahaaaa yeah.

Maybe if David Beckham or someone did an advert about how bad smoking was. Might have more of an effect as teenagers tend to respect those type of people!

 

[Dragonfly]

I started smoking when I was a teen to and it wasnt because of the shiney box either. I dont think it will make a difference how about concentrating on whats in the box and how to educate children that its not good. Its not a porno mag ffs.

 

[HannahGraceee]

I recon they should just have in big black letters, will make penis smaller, teenages boy will never go near them

 

[cherryglitter]

Lol!! That's true!!
Although they say it stunts your growth my brothers like 6foot 1!! He's been smoking for ages!

 

[bathbabe]

omg what next?! I started smoking when i was 13 (gave up at 18 or 19) i certainly didnt smoke because of what was on the packet! To start with i thought it was cool! Getting in with the 'cool kids'. If kids want to smoke they will smoke no matter if the box is plain, glittery, or made out of loo roll. You can tell them over and over again all the reasons not to do it and only a handful will listen x

 

[PeanutBean]

I read about this and whilst I don't particularly think it will be a deterrant I do think it will remove an attractant, if you see what I mean. Why allow it to be glamourised at all? The industry (can't remember who) have said that it is part of their advertising arsenal. If there is one stupid child attracted by it isn't it worth it? I can't think of an argument FOR attractive packaging iyswim.

More important though is the move to keep them off display which is already going through and as the packet thing will apparently take an age I suspect this means the behind closed doors thing was started before this government. If they ARE off display then the packet won't matter anyway!