Tag: U.K.

  • U.K. passes cigarette-packaging law

    The U.K. House of Lords on March 16 approved a bill requiring cigarettes to be sold in standardized packaging.

    The House of Commons on March 11 voted 367 to 113 in favor of the law, which passed through the House of Lords without a vote. Starting in May 2016, cigarettes must be sold in packages of the same shape, size and design, with the only difference between packages being the name of the brand and the graphic health warning displayed on the cartons. The U.K. is the third country to introduce plain-packaging legislation; Ireland introduced a similar bill earlier this month, and Australia implemented plain packaging in 2012.

    While various health organizations have championed the legislation in the belief that standardized packaging will render cigarettes less appealing to smokers, particularly minors, tobacco companies—who fear a significant loss of profits once the law is implemented—have threatened legal action against the U.K. government. Opponents of plain packaging also point to the potential uptick in cigarette smuggling and illicit trade that could occur as a result.

  • ‘Lighting up’ given whole new meaning

    Hand-rolling tobacco intercepted by customs officers as it was being smuggled into the U.K. is to be burned in an incinerator to help generate electricity for the national grid, according to a story by the Western Morning News.

    But the electricity generated is unlikely to blow any fuses – only 150 kg of tobacco is to be burned.

    The tobacco was detected by a trading standards sniffer dog at a parcel office in Plymouth, Devon, last year.

    It was hidden inside camping refrigerators, one of which also contained £38,770 in shrink-wrapped cash, part of the proceeds from a previous shipment.