August 15th, 2012
03:55 AM ET

Australia's high court upholds restrictions on tobacco packaging

In a decision announced Wednesday, Australia's high court upheld the plain packaging act, which says that tobacco products must be in plain packaging and bear graphic health warnings as of December 1.

"It's extraordinarily encouraging," said Richard Daynard, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston and president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute. "It means that governments are pretty much free to do what they feel is necessary to protect their population from tobacco marketing, including marketing on packages. In other words, it's a blow for public health."

Several tobacco companies had challenged the act as unconstitutional, saying the government was unfairly taking its intellectual property.

The high court posted the decision on its website, but not the opinion. That will be published at a later date, it said.

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Filed under: Politics • World
soundoff (17 Responses)
  1. raven

    Good. And I smoke.( shhh,another one of my secret shames).

    August 15, 2012 at 7:36 am | Report abuse |
  2. james ainoris

    Its crazy how in America tabbacco companies "hid" the truth for decades about dangers of smoking and chewing . Now they market kids in south america... their biggest profits today selling to 9yo kids... a drug which is more addictive than herion which leads to cancer and heart disease...just like big alchohol companies get away with this . Crazy world we live in... in the 80s right wingers called the attack on big tabbaco a "liberal conspiracy".... RJ Reynolds and Busch brewer et al are big lobbiests... and people like Mayor Bloomberg have the insite and courage to raise issues (fast food transfat as well as sugar was ridiculed by lush dimbaugh and other r wing cheerleaders who work for rich corps profiting from such)... Red Meat has recently been shown to be equal to smoking! jim ainoris

    August 15, 2012 at 8:09 am | Report abuse |
    • Bongo™

      Everyone likes a good smoke now and then. It calms the nerves.

      August 15, 2012 at 9:41 am | Report abuse |
    • Rascal Rabble

      thatsah bongo myth, dude...cigs w/drawal cause jitteriness

      August 15, 2012 at 8:20 pm | Report abuse |
  3. raven

    Amen, james ainoris. You're right, it IS a crazy world. I remember when big tobacco companies got exposed for specifically marketing and targeting children.AFTER it was proven to be hazardous to your health.

    August 15, 2012 at 8:20 am | Report abuse |
  4. Bongo

    I remember when you could buy ciggies out of vending machines just like a cola or snack. Those were good times.

    August 15, 2012 at 9:24 am | Report abuse |
    • Spot of Joy

      You still can in some places. Bars, mostly. They seem to go together well. Beer and a ciggy? Oh yeah.

      August 15, 2012 at 10:01 am | Report abuse |
  5. chrissy

    Now.....If they would just do the same thing on alcohol and beer packaging! Those things are as much, if not more, bad for your health!

    August 15, 2012 at 10:43 am | Report abuse |
  6. Spot of Joy

    Yeah, show a nice big fat liver suffering from cirrhosis. Maybe show David Crosby's liver after they gave him a transplant. Works for me, chrissy.

    August 15, 2012 at 10:55 am | Report abuse |
  7. Jinx

    "female under the age of 45"? That's a HARD 45! What they didn't tell you is that what she was smoking was crackandmeth. And never had been to a dentist. And lived in a tree.

    August 15, 2012 at 11:34 am | Report abuse |
    • banasy©

      Yeah, that picture is pretty hard to believe...doesn't appear that the dentist was ever a part of her life...

      August 15, 2012 at 12:50 pm | Report abuse |
  8. chrissy

    lol now im GLAD i dont get the pics. The visuals i got from the two of you are more than sufficient! Lmao.

    August 15, 2012 at 2:03 pm | Report abuse |
  9. chrissy

    And can you JUST imagine the pics on food when the *sugar police* get started? lmao

    August 15, 2012 at 2:06 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rascal Rabble

      yep they should put warnings on carbonated beverages they blow out yah kidneys...i think we should file a class action against all the cola companies...

      August 15, 2012 at 8:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rascal Rabble

      like drinkin' pancake syrup on ice...yum-yum!

      August 15, 2012 at 8:27 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Beer Lady

    these signs don't make sense:

    smoking unborn harms babies.

    smoking your teeth damages gums. and?

    August 15, 2012 at 7:57 pm | Report abuse |
  11. chrissy

    ewww @ Rascal, lmao.

    August 15, 2012 at 11:13 pm | Report abuse |
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