Tough times for tobacco Anti-smoking crusades are intensifying around the world. After some towns in California even banned smoking inside homes, yesterday in the Philippines an assorted ordinance of heavy fines banned smoking in Manila within a hundred meters of a series of public places, from bus terminals to pedestrian crossings, schools , hospitals… Meanwhile in Australia the Government has waged a titanic fight against the big tobacco companies, imposing the so-called plain packaging: each package will have the same sad greenish colour, the brand of the cigarette will be in small print, and surmounted by horrifying photos of gangrenous feet and mouths devastated by tumors, as well as heavy warnings about the evils of tobacco. Firms – British American Tobacco Australia (BATA), Philip Morris Ltd and Imperial Tobacco Australia Ltd promise fire, flames and legal action. Their line of defense is that there is no evidence that this measure reduces cigarette consumption. To which the Government replies that it is normal that there is no proof because so far no one in the world has introduced plain packaging.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/world/view/australia-takes-on-tobacco-giants-over-packaging
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/10123/mmda-makes-smokers%e2%80%99-world-smaller-each-day
