Plain packaging reduces ‘cigarette seeking’ response by almost a tenth

Plain tobacco packaging may reduce the likelihood of smokers seeking to obtain cigarettes by almost 10 per cent compared to branded packs, according to research from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter. The findings come amidst debate over whether a law introducing plain cigarette packaging in England and Wales could come into force in 2016. Last month ministers said MPs would be asked to vote on the plan before May's general election, following a series of public consultations on the issue. In the experiments, smokers had to choose between pressing a key that might earn cigarettes or a key that might earn chocolate, and they were uncertain about which key was most likely to pay off in each trial. Just before participants made each choice, they were presented with either a picture of a branded cigarette pack, a picture of a plain cigarette pack, or nothing. The results showed that whereas branded packs increased the probability of participants making the cigarette choice by 10 per cent compared to when nothing was presented, the plain packs did not. The implication is that plain packs are less effective at prompting smokers to purchase cigarettes compared to branded packs.