Regulation of nicotine marketing products to be sold in plain packaging. Tobacco advertising on radio, television and billboards is illegal. In July 2009, in-store tobacco advertising and displays of tobacco were made illegal – Ireland being the first country in the EU (and third in the world, after Canada and Iceland) to do so. Ireland plans to adopt the Australian model of plain-packaged cigarettes which is due to begin in September 2017. The relevant EU directives banning tobacco advertising apply within the United Kingdom, in addition to UK laws restricting tobacco advertising. The first calls to restrict advertising came in 1962 from the Royal
Plain tobacco packaging Mars, Incorporated and the UK Department of Health conveyed concerns that plain packaging could be extended to the food and beverage industry. Together, with other policies such as tobacco taxes, plain packaging is considered by some as a form of social engineering. A study commissioned by Philip Morris International indicated that plain packaging would shift consumer preferences away from premium towards cheaper brands. The tobacco industry also expressed concern that plain packaging would increase the sales of counterfeit cigarettes. Roy Ramm, former commander of Specialist Operations at New Scotland Yard and founding member of The Common Sense Alliance, a think