FOREST launches campaign against proposed EU directive diversions

The U.K. smokers’ lobby group FOREST has launched a campaign to fight an EU directive that will ban tobacco products that are currently legal and severely restrict consumer choice.

In announcing its latest initiative, FOREST said the No Thank EU campaign would give retailers and consumers the opportunity to register their opposition to the proposed regulations that included a ban on menthol cigarettes and 10-packs.

As proposed, the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) would outlaw, too, smaller pouches of roll-your-own tobacco, restrict the size and shape of cigarette packs and impose larger health warnings on all tobacco products.

“Prohibition doesn’t work,” said FOREST campaigns manager Angela Harbutt. “Retailers will be robbed of income from outlawed products. Denied choice, consumers will be driven to the black market where there will be a flourishing trade in banned goods.

“The Directive is proceeding with indecent haste. Members of parliament have been denied the opportunity to scrutinize the proposals, yet the impact on retailers and consumers in Britain is potentially enormous.

“Regulations like this should be a matter for elected politicians in Westminster, not unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. We urge retailers and consumers who share our concern to make their opinions known by supporting our campaign.”

The launch of the No Thank EU campaign follows the success of FOREST’s Hands Off Our Packs campaign, which generated a huge response to the government’s consultation on plain packaging of tobacco. More than 420,000 people registered their opposition to the policy, more than 265,000 of them via FOREST.

FOREST is supported by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco Limited and Gallaher Limited (a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies).

Further information on the new campaign is at: www.NoThankEU.com.