CANBERRA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Australia's plain cigarette packaging with larger graphic health warnings increased smokers' urgency to quit and make smoking less appealing, a new research showed on Monday.
The study of more than 500 smokers revealed that a majority of those smoking from plain packs perceived their cigarettes to be lower in quality and tended to perceive their cigarettes as less satisfying than a year ago, according to a statement from Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek.
The research showed that smokers were more likely to have thought about quitting at least once a day in the past week and were more likely to rate quitting as a higher priority in their lives.
"Smokers have been telling us that our new plain packaging and the larger graphic health warnings are putting them off," Plibersek said.
She said the study of the effects of the government's tobacco reforms show they are working to put people off smoking.
"While tobacco companies haven't changed the formula of their products, we've had feedback from smokers saying their cigarettes taste worse since the government's required packaging to be plain. " she confirmed.
Australia introduced a legislation to mandate plain packaging of tobacco products on 1 January 2012 with full implementation by 1 December 2012.
All cigarettes now must be packed in a plain, logo-free format, with graphic health warnings and warnings about age restrictions on tobacco sales across the country. No brand colors are permitted and brand names can only be presented using a single font style.
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