Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.
For World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2016, WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are calling countries to get ready for plain (standardized) packaging of tobacco products.
Plain packaging is an important demand reduction measure that reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products, restricts use of tobacco packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion, limits misleading packaging and labelling, and increases the effectiveness of health warnings.
Plain packaging of tobacco products refers to measures that restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style.
Guidelines to Articles 11 and 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) recommend that Parties consider adoption of plain packaging.
Plain packaging builds upon other measures as part of a comprehensive multisectoral approach to tobacco control. Policy makers, civil society and the public can take action to ensure that their governments consider adoption of plain packaging.
Facts about plain packaging
Interest in plain packaging is progressing across the globe:
- In December 2012, Australia became the first country to fully implement plain packaging.
- In 2015, Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and France all passed laws to implement plain packaging from May 2016.
- A number of countries are in advanced stages of considering adoption of plain packaging laws.
Goals of WNTD 2016 campaign
World No Tobacco Day 2016 aims to:
- Highlight the role of plain packaging as part of a comprehensive, multisectoral approach to tobacco control.
- Facilitate policy development by Member States and the globalization of plain packaging by providing informative, compelling and persuasive information.
- Encourage Member States to strengthen packaging and labelling measures and restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship as they work towards plain packaging in a step-wise approach.
- Support Member States and civil society against tobacco industry interference in political processes leading to adoption of plain packaging laws.
For more information, including campaign videos, brochures, and posters, please visit http://www.who.int/campaigns/no-tobacco-day/2016/en.
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Dr. Lyne Scott is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics (USC Keck School of Medicine), Allergy and Immunology Division Chief, Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program Director, and Director of the Breathmobile Program at LAC+USC Medical Center. Dr. Scott has extensive knowledge regarding the infrastructure of the Breathmobile Program, implementation of disease management principles in asthma disease tracking, and outcomes results for the Breathmobile Program. Dr. Scott has participated in several peer-reviewed publications describing findings of the LAC+USC Breathmobile Program and is the lead author on a collaborative manuscript describing outcomes for Breathmobile Programs across the country. She has received funding from National Institutes of Health for health disparities research. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of CEASE (The Clinical Effort Against Secondhand Smoke Exposure), a First 5 California Initiative. Her interests include improving access to and delivery of effective asthma care for children in Los Angeles and abroad.
Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. As part of its goal to improve public health and protect future generations from the risks of tobacco use, the FDA has extended its authority to cover all products that meet the definition of a tobacco product.
Dr. McHugh is an Obstetrician & Gynecologist (OB/GYN) at the St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino, CA. He serves as Co-Chair of the Preconception Health Care Council of California. In addition, Dr. McHugh is an Assistant Professor at University of California, Irvine. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, Dr. McHugh has worked in the medical field for over 20 years in various positions, such as Department Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scripps Mercy Hospital.
Robert is currently President of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) Board of Directors. He is a Senior Teratogen Information Specialist and Community Outreach Coordinator with MotherToBaby California, responsible for increasing awareness about the value of MotherToBaby’s services and cultivating new partnerships with healthcare providers and community‐based organizations.
Presenter
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