Big Tobacco are losing their fight to stop plain packaging cigarettes, according to Dr Enrico Bonadio, a Senior Lecturer in a law school.
The tobacco industry is battling plain packaging cigarettes by basing their arguments around trade and intellectual property rights, but courts are rejecting their challenges, according to Dr Bonadio.
The regulations, courtesy of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive, came properly into fruition on the 20th May, presenting huge changes to the tobacco and vaping industries.
New cigarette packaging is a “dark, murky green colour with large graphic health-warning images and scary messages aimed at informing current and potential smokers about the devastating consequences of tobacco consumption”.
Big Tobacco has been defeated in the High Court of England and Wales, and in the Court of Appeal.
Last month, the Supreme Court refused a legal challenge from the tobacco industry, ensuring that plain packaging remained compulsory.
It’s been reported that the Tobacco Products Directive was already damaging tobacco retailers.
In his blog, Dr Enrico Bonadio said he believes that the blow to the tobacco industry goes deeper, with the rulings “likely convince other states to introduce plain packaging legislation without fear of violating international trade and intellectual property laws”.
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