Consultation on plain cigarette packaging extended

The government has extended the deadline on its consultation on the potential introduction of standardised plain packaging for cigarettes sold in the UK.

August 10th 2012 has been set as the new closing date for the consultation in order to allow the Department of Health to take full account of all the potential benefits and disadvantages of such a move.

Public health minister Anne Milton said: "We have received thousands of responses to the consultation already, but we want to make sure that everyone who wants to contribute can."

This comes as part of a wider government effort to tackle the public health challenge posed by smoking, particularly as regards reducing the number of young people taking up the habit.

Earlier this year, new laws came into force to prevent large shops and supermarkets from keeping their cigarettes on public display.

Cancer Research UK is strongly in favour of introducing plain packaging for cigarettes, as it believes that colourfully branded boxes for these products make them more appealing to youngsters.