Plain tobacco packaging urged countries to consider plain packaging, and noted that Bhutan had banned the sale of tobacco earlier in 2011. New Zealand Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia congratulated the Australian Health Minister, noted that tobacco labelling rules have long been harmonised between Australia and New Zealand, and looked forward to New Zealand following suit. In April 2011, Minister Roxon released an exposure draft of plain packaging legislation with an expected start date of 1 July 2012. Australian newspapers reported that the legislation was likely to pass despite concerns from the Opposition. It was suggested the Opposition resistance to the legislation was
Plain tobacco packaging one year (until 1 July 2018) to transition to the new standardised cigarette packages and smokeless tobacco boxes. Since 2017, the National Assembly has discussed draft Law 136 on plain packaging. The bill proposes that the color of the packs be dark matt gray and that the mark be presented in white Arial font, size 20, highlighted in bold. Panama ranks second in having the lowest prevalence in the world of consumption, since only 6.4% of adults in the isthmus smoke. Anti-smoking group New Vois Association of the Philippines favored the introduction of plain cigarette packaging in the Philippines as