LONDON – Ministers in England have announced that they are
postponing plans to introduce legislation requiring plain
packaging for cigarettes in the United Kingdom, The Guardian reports.
The Department of Health sent a written statement to MPs,
saying it needs additional time to study the impact of a similar law in
Australia before moving forward with a similar measure.
Cancer Research UK called the decision “bitterly
disappointing,” though Mark Field, a conservative MP, said he welcomed the
government’s “sensible and pragmatic” decision.
According to Field, the plain packaging plan would cost the
government “significant sums of money” while requiring compensation to be paid
to cigarette manufacturers for the loss of intellectual property rights. He
also challenged the evidence that said plain packaging would lead to fewer
young people smoking.
The decision to postpone the decision means the law likely
would not be introduced before the 2015 election, Field said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it was prudent not to
rush a decision on plain packaging. "This is an important decision and we
make no apology for taking time to get it right,” a spokesperson said.