Plain packaging for cigarettes was introduced in Australia on December 1 2012, and placed all control over tobacco product packaging into the hands of the government. The legislation banned the use of all branding, colours or trademarks, replacing the lot with disturbing images and dire health warnings. The name of the brand is also displayed in standardised text. Despite this introduction there has been evidence of a marked increase in youth smoking and tobacco smuggling rates in Australia. Also remarkably, the volume of cigarettes sold also went up for the first time in decades.
