According to a survey, most Germans are satisfied with the effect of the ban on smoking in public places in Germany
As Deutsche Welle notes, in many countries, including Ukraine, scary images on cigarette packs have long become the norm. In Canada, Brazil, and Singapore, they became mandatory as early as the first half of the 2000s. In the European Union, such images were already recommended in October 2004, but only recommended; adopting this recommendation as law was left to the discretion of each individual EU country.
In some countries, the horror images take up a third of the pack area, in others almost two-thirds. Black teeth, rotting hands and feet, a tumor in the sliced brain of a corpse, ulcers and tumors – these pictures indeed make a terrifying impression; the faint-hearted are advised not to look. Sometimes, instead of a horrifying photo, there is a more witty image, such as a tombstone with the inscription: 'Here lies your name.'
In Germany, shocking images and frightening warnings will occupy at least 65% of the front and back sides of the packaging. Therefore, the production of packaging and boxes made of corrugated cardboard will undergo significant changes. Another innovation: now the use of flavoring additives in the production of tobacco products is prohibited. An exception is made only for menthol, but even that will no longer be in cigarettes by 2020.
By the way, the introduction of the new law requiring scary images does not mean that cigarette packs will be transformed immediately. It will take time: weeks and even months, suggests the head of the German Association of Tobacco Product Manufacturers (DZV) Jan Mücke. After all, the design of such packages must be developed, and then they must be printed. The first packs designed in accordance with the EU directive and the new German law will appear on sale no earlier than the end of summer. And the sale of even already produced cigarette packs without scary images will be completely banned no later than January 1, 2017.
In Jan Mücke's opinion, some of the small tobacco brands, for which such transformations are too much, will disappear from the market. Others will merge two 'related' brands into one. Large corporations producing leading cigarette brands will probably cope with the upcoming changes much more easily, believes the head of the German Association of Tobacco Product Manufacturers.
At the same time, he complains that competitors of German cigarette manufacturers are in more favorable conditions. For example, in Austria and Hungary, a longer period has been set for the transition to the new design, and in Eastern European countries – Poland and the Czech Republic – they are not yet in a hurry to implement the EU directive.
Will the scary pictures affect smokers? Some experts believe they are useless. At the same time, in Germany, for example, various anti-smoking measures (frightening warnings on cigarette packs, ban on TV advertising, ban on smoking in cafes and restaurants, and other public places) are quite effective. According to the German Center for Addiction Research (Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen, DHS), less than 30% of men and 20% of women smoke in Germany.
These figures, however, do not show exactly how much individual men and women smoke: 5-6 cigarettes a day or, say, a pack. In any case, the number of cigarettes purchased in Germany in 2015 compared to the previous year did not decrease: every average German bought about a thousand cigarettes.
There are also encouraging facts, though. The number of smoking teenagers in Germany is decreasing. Currently, only 11% of boys and 9% of girls aged 12-17 try smoking in the country. The horror images on cigarette packs could reduce this number even further.