Smoking crackdown turns cigarette packets grey
CIGARETTE firms are to be forced to sell every brand in plain GREY packets to make them less attractive to kids.
They will all have to be in identical boxes, with the brand name shown in just plain text above a big health warning, under new government plans.
Ministers want to ditch the glitzy packaging when laws forcing shopkeepers to keep smokes under the counter come in later this year.
And parents could also be banned from lighting up at home or in their cars when travelling with children.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham will unveil the crackdown tomorrow. A Health Department source said: "We want to do everything possible to stop children from starting to smoke.
"We're going to look to see if getting rid of jazzy cigarette packs will take away the lure of smoking."
Mr Burnham is to start talks with shops and manufacturers after a study showed children believe cigs in attractive packets are less harmful.
Britain has already seen the toughest ever crackdown on cigarettes - including a ban on smoking at work.
And new laws will soon come into force banning vending machines and cigarettes on open display in stores.
But Mr Burnham plans to go even further by declaring his vision of a "smoke-free future" where kids are protected from the scourge of tobacco.
In a speech tomorrow he will say: "I believe we are right to take tough action - and that we should be unapologetic about it.
"I make no apology for taking a hard line when it comes to protecting children and given them the best start in life. I want to see a smoke-free future, a future where people lead healthier and longer lives because they don't smoke." His new purge on tobacco will guarantee NHS help for every smoker who wants to quit, including free nicotine patches or gum.
Seven out of ten smokers say they want to stop and 2.4 million have quit since the "Smoking Kills" campaign was launched in 1998.
An insider added: "Every smoker will get support, including nicotine replacement therapy. It's much better to be on patches than inhale all the toxic chemicals in cigarettes."
Treating patients for smoke- induced lung and heart disease costs the NHS ?2.7 billion a year.
Last night the new clampdown was welcomed by Labour MP Ian McCartney, who has campaigned tirelessly to protect kids from smoking.
He said: "This will be another big step towards preventing another generation of young people being damaged and injured by tobacco."
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