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agreement this week between the European Parliament and Government Ministers on Tobacco regulation comes after months of
careful compromise and negotiation between MEPS, the European
Commission and the 28 member countries. The new law will be a significant step
forward in making smoking less attractive to the nearly 14,000 children who are
regular smokers here in Yorkshire alone. Flavourings such as strawberry
and chocolate as well as lipstick and perfume type boxes
will be removed from the market. Packs of less than 20 cigarettes, often
described as 'pocket money' packs by health campaigners, will also go. An
average pack of cigarettes will now be virtually covered
by graphic health warnings, with the door left open for individual
governments to go further still. This is good news for all those who want to
see the UK follow in Australia's shoes and adopt standardised or 'plain'
packaging. Anyone is any doubt about how cigarette packaging influences
children on smoking should watch Cancer Research UK's hard hitting advert. The
new law will also regulate Electronic-cigarettes which is a growing market.
'E-cigs' give smokers the nicotine they need without the harmful health impact
of smoking, however nicotine is highly addictive and toxic in concentrated
form, so legislators want better regulation and rules to stop e-cigs becoming a
leisure product for young people. There are no proposals to ban e-cigs as some
commentators have suggested. MEPs and Ministers are therefore proposing that in
future, e-cigs will be regulated like other tobacco products (below a
maximum strength and capsule size with tamper and childproof E-liquid
bottles) or as medicines if, like nicotine patches, they make claims to help people
quit smoking. The agreement will need final approval from the European
Parliament which I hope will be forthcoming (although the lead Tory MEP is
already suggesting he will oppose it.) Next year is going to be a busy one with elections round the corner. In the meantime, a very Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2014. Linda Here is a round up of Linda McAvan MEP's latest work here in Yorkshire, and in Brussels |
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