British Health Secretary Alan Johnson has revealed that new plans are in the making to curb smoking among young people.

A consultation paper proposed by the UK Department of Health is suggesting banning displays in shops and vending machines, abolishing packs of ten, thus making the minimum cigarette pack size 20, and allowing only the sales of cigarettes in plain packaging.
Johnson said he agreed with the Scottish government's decision to ban the display of cigarettes in shops and that bans on cigarette vending machines in other European countries had been successful. "Indeed we are considering [the same measures] as well and we'll launch a consultation document next week," he told the BBC.
If plain packaging is introduced, then all UK cigarette packs would be white and brand names printed in plain black type. The only colour on the packs would be graphic health warnings.
Erik Bloomquist, an industry analyst at JPMorgan, said that the key problem with plain packaging would be that it effectively expropriates valuable assets of companies, their brands and that such action would be opposed not only by tobacco, but by other UK businesses that market branded consumer products. (pi/ci)