A new regulation compelling tobacco firms to sell cigarettes in plain packets has come into effect in Australia. Under the law, all cigarette packs will now have to be sold in identical, olive-brown packs with the same typeface and covered with graphic health warnings largely.
According to Australia's federal government, the plain packaging aims to put off young people from smoking by stripping the habit of glamor.
The new packs will feature generic drab olive green coverings, gruesome pictures of diseased body parts and depictions of children and babies made ill by the smoking of their parents, replacing brand logos and colors.
The law, which specifies that 75% of the front of cigarette packs must feature the graphic images, has been welcomed by anti-smoking campaigners.
In Australia the percentage of smokers declined from about 50% in the 1950s to 15% at present and the government aims to bring it down to 10% by 2018.
Health authorities in the country expect that the new packaging will have the biggest impact on young people.
