Warning on packets that tobacco is harmful to health does not facilitate product counterfeiting and illegal trade.

Madrid, February 2013- distribution industry tobacco retailer, newsagents and tobacconists mainly has been manifested recently in Brussels to express their opposition to the draft directive on the tobacco (TPD) products, since they believe that the new text will increase the falsification and the parallel market. As they have said, the provision of the directive which obliges devote 75% of the cigarette package to warn about the negative effects of the health product, become the package almost a generic, easier and cheaper to forge.

The tobacco industry claims that plain packages are easy to forge, but it is shown that the counterfeiting industry has quickly copied all original material made of paper, even the most sophisticated tax stamps for years. The reality is that now all packages are easy to forge and that a simple packaging will not make any difference.

For Shane Fitch, President of the Lovexair Foundation, experience has shown that the illicit cigarette trade is driven by supply and price, rather than by the packaging of the product ”. The illicit trade is the result of a high demand and supply: consumers want cheaper cigarettes and tobacco, legal or illegal manufacturers, offer them, in search of profits and sales, increase market share or access to new consumers. This is facilitated, moreover, by the action of the corruption and the presence of criminal networks.

A recent qualitative research in Scotland between young adult smokers has shown that the appearance of the package has no impact on the decision of buying counterfeit cigarettes, but that I was driven by the availability and price.

Tobacco control experts advocate the creation of a new anti-counterfeiting technology, since each visible item in a package of cigarettes is potentially easy to falsify. The large spaces of graphic health warnings will make it difficult for packs of fake cigarettes like any other package.

In addition, from the Lovexair Foundation supports this new line of work, which includes additional resources for the improvement of research, profiles of risk, allocation of tasks and coordination to detect and disrupt the supply of illicit tobacco products.