[Intl-tobacco] Australia: Call for crackdown on 'suggestive' cigarette ads.

[Robert Weissman]

Call for crackdown on 'suggestive' cigarette ads.

6/1/2003. ABC News Online

[This is the print version of story
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s758111.htm]

Monday, January  6, 2003. Posted: 10:12:22 (AEDT)

Call for crackdown on 'suggestive' cigarette ads

Health groups are looking for a further crackdown on cigarette
advertising and promotion.

Twelve months after new laws significantly restricted point-of-sale
advertising, anti-tobacco advocates are concerned about an apparent
surge in so-called "suggestive advertising", which promotes smoking in a
non-branded manner.

Chief executive of VicHealth, Rob Moody, says the issue of suggestive
advertising needs to be looked at by authorities.

"It is emerging into ground that is quite difficult to define but on the
other hand I think ... the better we can do is making sure in no way is
tobacco being promoted to young kids in particular," Dr Moody said.

He is also calling for new rules on the display of cigarettes in shops,
which may promote smoking to children.

"We've got two concerns: one is this use of non-branded imaging and we
really have to sort of keep an eye on it," Dr Moody said.

"The other one is where this association of placing cigarette packs
right next to confectionery, and that's still at very high level, so
when young kids come in, they come into an ordinary store, they're
looking at confectionery and they're also looking to tobacco," he said.