first free and then available to purchase
When combined with increasing supportive formative and evaluative evidence from diverse jurisdictions, countries considering implementing plain packaging should have confidence this policy will be effective and withstand legal challenges.27 Tobacco companies are capable of adapting swiftly to regulatory change.28 29 The history of packaging is one of adaptation,30 and in markets with plain packaging tobacco industry journals highlight opportunities for continued differentiation, including through pack size, flavours, distinctive blends, cigarette length, novel filters, unique filter end segments and product innovations.3134 We discuss these responses in the following section, but unless governments develop comprehensive plain packaging laws that leave no gaps or opportunities for alternative interpretations, or introduce separate legislation that addresses product regulation, the industry will exploit these.11 Learning: the importance of evaluation Research has explored consumer, tobacco industry and retailer response to plain packaging in countries with this policy
The connection between COVID-19, mental health, and smoking Since our last report, COVID-19 has affected the health of individuals across the globe
demonstrated that TMV-derived RNA introduced into human epithelial cells can trigger conserved innate cellular stress responses, including endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy (34)
This can stimulate a smoking addiction among young smokers and hence contribute to a rise of consumption of cigarette products
Nicotine, which is one of the main constituents of cigarette smoke, suppresses the immune system but might have therapeutic potential as a neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory agent
