Pro-smoking lobby embraces social media to help protect the kids | James Dean

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This has to be the weirdest social media campaign I’ve ever come across.

“Hands Off Our Packs” is fighting against plain cigarette packaging, a measure being floated by the Department of Health to try and make a killer habit less sexy – especially to kids. It tweets from @NoToPlainPacks, runs a Facebook page here and a YouTube channel here.

The main arguments are “nanny state”; that counterfeiting will become easier; and, conversely, that plain packaging will pose a danger to children.

The campaign does have its champions, particularly the Daily Mail. Blogger Abhijit Pandya recently offered this supportive pearl:

Tax revenue from tobacco over the last year was over £12.1 billion, paying for vital treatment in hospitals

It’s probably worth mentioning that the campaign is supported by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco.

Twitter: @jamesdean_lives

Read more: Burning with indignation, an industry fights back over plans for plain cigarette packets

Notes

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