Cigarette packets in Australia (20 May 2019). As a result of the enactment of the December 2015 plain tobacco packaging bill, on 1 January 2017 France became the second country in the world, after Australia, and the first in the European Union to require tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging. In March 2015, the House of Commons voted 367–113 in favour of plain cigarette packaging in the United Kingdom. The sale of plain packs is compulsory since 21 May 2017. For cigarette packets, warnings include: With each warning is an accompanying graphic, and detailed information on the back of the packet. In
Plain tobacco packaging tobacco companies subsequently hired a public relations firm to oversee the campaign. In May 2011, British American Tobacco launched a media campaign suggesting that illicit trade and crime syndicates would benefit from plain packaging. BATA CEO David Crow threatened to lower cigarette prices in order to compete, which he claimed could result in higher levels of smoking amongst young people. Mr. Crow later commented he would tell his own children not to smoke cigarettes, because they are unhealthy. The BATA campaign is largely based on a report from Deloitte. Several of the claims contained in the report related to border