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NEWS: Herald Sun - 30/10/2006 'Kiddie cigarette promotion fires up Quit'

hoptis

hoptis

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'Kiddie' cigarette promotion fires up Quit
Michelle Pountney, health reporter
October 30, 2006 11:00pm

MINI-packs of cigarettes have been labelled an attempt to lure young people to take up the habit.

Quit has attacked British American Tobacco for releasing limited edition cigarette packets dubbed "kiddie" packs.

The packs of 20 are split in two smaller packets -- one containing seven cigarettes and the other holding 13.

Despite their limited edition status, the packs of Dunhill Distinct are widely available.

The packets also allow the tobacco company to dilute new graphic health warnings by using a double-sided fold-out section where they can advertise their brand without the confronting pictures.

Quit -- which says it is a devious attempt by BAT to undermine the new graphic warning laws and entice young smokers -- yesterday made a formal complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Quit executive director Todd Harper said the pack may breach the Trade Practices Act.

"The way this new pack is designed essentially means that one of the packs does not carry the required graphic health warnings," he said.

"We know cost is an important deterrent for youth who may be considering smoking.

"This pack is designed with perforations, to allow younger people to share the pack and therefore the cost, easily."

BAT, at a presentation last month to tobacconists and newsagents, had stated split packs were targeted for the "iPod generation" of young smokers.

A spokesman for BAT, Bede Fennell, yesterday said the tobacco company had not breached any laws and the new packs did not target young people.

"This product is not designed to be split into two," Mr Fennell.

"This is evidenced by the fact there is only one lid to cover the two compartments. The purpose of the two sections, and foil, is to ensure enhanced freshness of product."

Mr Fennell said the split packs were a limited edition that would be available for only one month.
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Herald Sun
 
Perhaps they have got a fair reason for pack splitting. Tobacco does lose it's freshness fairly quickly.

I'm starting to wonder whether the ads themselves might somehow act to increase the attraction with some kids; "look at me I'm so tough I smoke deadly cigarettes" I can only say that there still seems to be a lot of young teenagers taking up the habit.

I've recently noticed that some smokers - particularly girls -seem to be rather put off by the latest cig pack quit ads. So much so, that the idea of going to a special event with a pack displaying dripping arteries or a cancerous mouth is not appealing in the slightest.

But are they abandoning the habit? It would seem not, at least for the determined ones I've seen. Before heading off to a wedding a couple of weeks ago the girls who are smokers simply pulled out their shiny cigarette cases & loaded them from a fresh packet, which was then discarded along with its terrible reminders. These silver or fancy decorated fold-ups, half the thickness of a 25 pack, not only sit virtually unnoticed in a top pocket, but they also attract the attention and comments of others with their slick appearances.

So, whether it's the companies hiding the truth or the smokers refusing to face it, it would seem some smokers will always be smokers and others will continue to be lured to it.
 
Thats why I buy Malboros in a tin. The tin looks cool. is nice and slim and the same cost and has no disgusting pictures and actually tells you the nicotine and carbon monoxide content, also seems to keep them fresher.
 
phase_dancer said:
girls who are smokers simply pulled out their shiny cigarette cases & loaded them from a fresh packet, which was then discarded along with its terrible reminders. These silver or fancy decorated fold-ups, half the thickness of a 25 pack, not only sit virtually unnoticed in a top pocket, but they also attract the attention and comments of others with their slick appearances.
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I'd stake my house on the fact that the new graphic warnings have completely and utterly backfired across all generations of smokers.

I've got friend's mothers who have pulled out their original 60s cigarette cases, I've got friends my age bringing back fake Vuiton cig cases from Thailand, mates who've gone found $5 plastic case covers, etc. EVERY smoker I know has gone out of the way to hide/forget the images.

Back when it was a written warning people would at least read them, hell some even wanted to see what new warnings they came up with (some were pretty pathetic), but in this day and age the images aren't that graphic (I've seen CD covers that are worse) abd people aren't stupid, they can easily hide the message. And the graphic nature gives them good reason to. A few words on a pack wouldn't offend their mate non-smokers, but as a non-smoker I really don't need to see the images everytime someone else lights up. So they hide it.
 
I actually had one mate that was planning to quit just before the new packets came out, but changed his mind and put it off because he wanted to get a full collection of all the packets. He now has every one of the packs and displays the disgusting photos proudly in his lounge room.

Oh yeah, and he still smokes.
 
On a related note, since the new warnings were put on packets and the packs no longer have the nicotine/CO/tar levels printed on them, is there any way to find out this information? It baffles me why they'd get rid of that - yeah, all cigarettes are dangerous but I think its tough to argue that smoking a Winfield White (2mg?) will do the same damage as a Winfield Red (16mg).

Sometimes i used to buy a different brand to usual for a bit of variety and I tried to buy brands that had a similar nicotine rating, and now I can't do this.
 
I didn't realise they'd taken the mgs off them! That's completely idiotic, 90% of people smoke a particular milligramage (I just made that word up) cause of taste not the amount of damage it does.
 
fuzzysun said:
On a related note, since the new warnings were put on packets and the packs no longer have the nicotine/CO/tar levels printed on them, is there any way to find out this information? It baffles me why they'd get rid of that - yeah, all cigarettes are dangerous but I think its tough to argue that smoking a Winfield White (2mg?) will do the same damage as a Winfield Red (16mg).

Sometimes i used to buy a different brand to usual for a bit of variety and I tried to buy brands that had a similar nicotine rating, and now I can't do this.
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In fact, a study did show that both low tar and regular cigarettes did the same damage to people, due to the way that both users smoked their brand (smokers of low tar/nicotene cigarettes tended to inhale deeper and hold longer on average) but wouldn't the lower nicotine cigarettes be easier to ween off?

Most people I know who go to quit cigarettes first cut down on strength. Or perhaps this is simply a misconception?
 
tribesman said:
In fact, a study did show that both low tar and regular cigarettes did the same damage to people, due to the way that both users smoked their brand (smokers of low tar/nicotene cigarettes tended to inhale deeper and hold longer on average) but wouldn't the lower nicotine cigarettes be easier to ween off?

Most people I know who go to quit cigarettes first cut down on strength. Or perhaps this is simply a misconception?
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Yes but the point is that the cigarette itself does less damage. Of course if you imhale more smoke, deeper, and hold it in longer it's going to do more damage. I'm not even a smoker and I object to the advirtising about all cigarettes doing equal damage, I simply don't accept that fact. If you smoke a 2mg in the same way you smoke a 16mg, the 16 will do more damage. Yes the 2mg will still do damage, and I imagine it would do more than 1/8 of the damage 16mg, but it would do less than the 16mg.

It would certainly make a difference with the physical side of things - tapering always does that - however I doubt it does anything to help with the psychological addiction at all.

PS
Don't ask me for a source, as I'm using common sense not a scientific study. I'm yet to see one study that disproves what I'm saying, if I see one, I will happily retract my statements.
 
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