31st, May
World No Tobacco Day
The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2016 is "Get ready for plain packaging".
The World Health Organization (WHO), the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Norwegian Cancer Society will mark the occasion on Tuesday 31 May. Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie will present the Norwegian government's work on plain packaging, and WHO will present a new report on plain packaging.
Member states
WHO is calling on its Member States to get ready for plain packaging. Australia, United Kingdom, France and Ireland have passed laws to implement plain packaging, and other countries are considering the same. The tobacco industry has filed suits against several countries to stop plain packaging, but without success, most recently in the UK.
Read more on the website of the Ministry of Health and Care Services
Australia is leading
Australia was the first country in the world to introduce Tobacco Plain Packaging on December 1, 2012 including both health warnings and restriction on internet advertising.