Time for Hong Kong to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes

Plain packaging for cigarettes has been introduced in Australia, is likely to occur in France and is being mooted in Britain. So far the Hong Kong government has shown little interest in it. Interestingly, studies have shown that the measure in Australia has coincided with the country's biggest fall in smoking rates in decades with the daily smoking rate falling by 15 per cent between 2010 and December 2013.

Nor did any of the tobacco industry's dire predictions come true. Tobacco manufacturers fought hard to prevent the policy becoming law, claiming that plain packs would lead to a boom for black market sales of potentially harmful illicit cigarettes, and would also harm small retailers.

Hong Kong, "Asia's World City" as the government likes to brand it, has so far shown little in the way of "world city" thinking on this and has been content to sit on its hands. Calling yourself a "world city" is supposed to mean more than having a fancy logo on your letterhead.