Plain tobacco packaging support from health associations. As in other countries, there was fierce protest from the tobacco industry and tobacco retailers associations. The Health Minister also seemed lukewarm in his support, preferring to see the effect of newly-introduced health warnings. Under the next legislature however, the new Socialist Health Minister, Marisol Touraine, said she would fight especially at the European level for "neutral packaging". As in Australia, the tobacco industry countered that generic packaging would be easy to counterfeit, which would increase illegal cigarette sales. The EU directive eventually contained no explicit measures regarding plain packaging. In reaction, the French government announced
Tobacco packaging warning messages TO HEALTH" in English. Paan, gutkha and tobacco packets carried the warning "TOBACCO IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH" in Hindi and English. The law later changed. According to the new law, cigarette packets were required to carry pictorial warnings of a skull or scorpion along with the text "SMOKING KILLS" and "TOBACCO CAUSES MOUTH CANCER" in both Hindi and English. "The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules 2008" requiring graphic health warnings came into force on 31 May 2008. Under the law, all tobacco products were required to display graphic pictures, such as pictures of diseased lungs, and