Standardized packaging could have led to fewer cigarette sales in the U.K.

In 2017, the U.K. government implemented a standardized cigarette packaging law as well as higher taxes on cheaper cigarettes, and a new study finds that these provisions may have worked to deter cigarette sales. The standardized packaging requirement — implemented first in Australia — bars companies from displaying any logos, brand names, or discounts on cigarette containers, in an effort to dissuade people from smoking as a result of flashy marketing. In the new study, scientists found that compared to before 2017, post-implementation monthly sales of cigarettes went from 383 million sticks in May 2015 to 224 million in April 2018. The monthly revenue for tobacco companies declined by 13% over the study period.