So what does plain packaging look like?

[El Presidente]

The issue here is Plain Packaging, Stay on topic.

You have a half dozen Asian Countries who are also likely to follow suit within 3 years so it is not a left/Right, Euro/US issue.

[bigfunkyg]

Will be heaven for fakers, no need to fake bands and boxes any more, no more stamps, stickers, holograms, box codes. Can just put anything into these boxes.

This would be my biggest concern as well. All the work that Habanos has done to reduce fakes would be essentially gone. It would be difficult to differentiate the product for counterfeit-proofing depending on what the legislation allows.

[CaptainQuintero]

The issue here is Plain Packaging, Stay on topic.

You have a half dozen Asian Countries who are also likely to follow suit within 3 years so it is not a left/Right, Euro/US issue.

In OZ Tobacco productions don't have to arrive in their plain packaging and health warning do they? It's up to retailers to add them before sale?

If so then would Cuba really care about changing how they export cigars unless all the regional distributors say that something needs to be done in Cuba before cigars reach the regions?

From your posts before it sounded like Cuba is saying they would rather stop exporting to OZ then apply all the plain packaging themselves?

[DrunkenMonkey]

Well, SaintLuis said this was a direct result of socialized medicine. The point of my comment is that I don't really mind the trade off.

Edit: if that is the trade off, which I am not agreeing to.

Sorry, I understand now.

[SaintLuis]

It's tax payer funded. The nation had a choice between spending tax money on being the world police and having a culture obsessed with war, or one that spent the war chest on looking after it's own people.

Kill people or give healthcare. It's something people are incredibly proud of here

How youve managed to spin plain packaging debates into 'Europeans are dirty commies' is crazy, come on this is about governments wanting more power and tobacco is an easy target to get legislation passed that can be used next against food and alcohol or whatever they want banned.

This ignores the reality that the entirety of Europe and the West are able to provide "free" health care because the US maintains world security. Try having both "free" health care and having to manage the world's radical totalitarian governments, and non-national militants.on your own.

Further, it's the free market system in the US, that provides the vast majority of the worlds medical R&D advancement. The US spends more than 10x what the UK spends on R&D, and houses more than half of the world's Pharma companies - 6x that of the UK. Without the last bastion of non-socialized (free! lol ) health care in the world, the "free" systems the left brags about, would go to pieces.

Then people really need to start asking, how humanitarian is that ideology after all?

There's this massive delusion about "free" healthcare, and the reality of how it is provided. The ignorance is shocking.

Plain packaging is a function of that ideology. We either made the choice to have it without knowing, and need to get happy about it, or make a change in how our ruling class makes our decisions for us. That is the situation we are in.

[SaintLuis]

The issue here is Plain Packaging, Stay on topic.

You have a half dozen Asian Countries who are also likely to follow suit within 3 years so it is not a left/Right, Euro/US issue.

Sorry Prez. My fault.

OT:

I hadn't heard of this issue being raised in the US, but I did find the following interesting.

There is correlation in OZ to it actually INCREASING sales of tobacco products??

http://www.forbes.com/sites/wlf/2014/04/09/consumer-product-plain-packaging-boomerangs-in-australia/

[Habano]

This opens the door to a lot of fakes. Truly a shame.

[Lotusguy]

No discussion of US politics on the forum - for good reason... someone didn't read the rules

On topic: Since I don't smoke the box nor the bands, I don't care what those look like. What I do care about, though, is that this sets a very bad example for overreaching government intervention in our personal lives and definitely makes life easier for the fakers. I can only hope that CRA continues to be successful in fighting such laws in US and that other nations don't follow Oz.

[SaintLuis]

^ What about the authenticity element? Not smoking the bands is fine as a tongue in cheek comment, but you can't deny its an important part of assuring what you're about to light is what you paid for, right?

It seems to me the regulators don't really care about that part.

[fookite]

I don't understand why a plain cardboard sleeve around the current boxes wouldn't satisfy whatever they are trying to do here.

[Lotusguy]

^ What about the authenticity element? Not smoking the bands is fine as a tongue in cheek comment, but you can't deny its an important part of assuring what you're about to light is what you paid for, right?

It seems to me the regulators don't really care about that part.

Agreed - as I said in my message above

[CaptainQuintero]

It's come to the point where someone can go into a sex store, buy a 42" black rubber dong in a (I'm guessing) wonderfully presented box with see-through and probably 'try me' gaps. Throw it over their shoulder and walk down the street with it and receive nothing more than the odd giggle.

Cigar smokers- shops need to have blacked out windows and everything must be covered up in opaque boxes and bags incase someone can see what is inside them :/

Not that I have anything against people buying/using/duelling with 42" black rubber dongs, but it shows the incredible point of ludicrousness that we have ended up at.

[Habano]

I don't understand why a plain cardboard sleeve around the current boxes wouldn't satisfy whatever they are trying to do here.

Because then it wouldn't be as easy to put fakes in the boxes.

[SaintLuis]

It's come to the point where someone can go into a sex store, buy a 42" black rubber dong in a (I'm guessing) wonderfully presented box with see-through and probably 'try me' gaps. Throw it over their shoulder and walk down the street with it and receive nothing more than the odd giggle.

...

Not that I have anything against people buying/using/duelling with 42" black rubber dongs, but it shows the incredible point of ludicrousness that we have ended up at.

Epic post. lmfao

[Marker]

It's come to the point where someone can go into a sex store, buy a 42" black rubber dong in a (I'm guessing) wonderfully presented box with see-through and probably 'try me' gaps. Throw it over their shoulder and walk down the street with it and receive nothing more than the odd giggle.

Cigar smokers- shops need to have blacked out windows and everything must be covered up in opaque boxes and bags incase someone can see what is inside them :/

Not that I have anything against people buying/using/duelling with 42" black rubber dongs, but it shows the incredible point of ludicrousness that we have ended up at.

I bow to the voice of experience.

[fookite]

If I ran a dildo store, I would label them with their vitola.

[Blakes]

Well played QC!!

[El Presidente]

In OZ Tobacco productions don't have to arrive in their plain packaging and health warning do they? It's up to retailers to add them before sale?

If so then would Cuba really care about changing how they export cigars unless all the regional distributors say that something needs to be done in Cuba before cigars reach the regions?

From your posts before it sounded like Cuba is saying they would rather stop exporting to OZ then apply all the plain packaging themselves?

By law, domestically all tobacco products must arrive to the retailer plain packaged.

Just guessing here but instead of each distributor setting up their own arrangements (plain packaging) it will eventually be centralised. Keep in mind it is a Cuba problem given HSA owns 50% of most distributors. Central place, economies of scale.

[CaptainQuintero]

By law, domestically all tobacco products must arrive to the retailer plain packaged.

Just guessing here but instead of each distributor setting up their own arrangements (plain packaging) it will eventually be centralised. Keep in mind it is a Cuba problem given HSA owns 50% of most distributors. Central place, economies of scale.

I see thanks

The plain packaging I can see as not being a huge issue, plain brown paper tied with string has it's own charm.

If I recieved for example a box/SLB of cigars that was the same as current packaging, but all wrapped in brown paper and tied with string I'd be quite charmed, like a parcel from Oliver Twist. The box/SLB underneath would be totally covered too.

It's the health stickers etc that are an issue, if they were fixed to the above brown paper then a pull of a string and all the stickers and plain packaging is gone.

I don't know if governments would want health stickers permanently fixed to future packaging or not. It depends wether they consider the brown parcel paper packaging of the product or not I guess :/

Bands, it just seems far easier to do away with and yse a single ribbon like SLB bundles or like Partagas seleccion privada dress boxes.

Are bands really that effective at stopping fakes? People seem to buy fakes regardless of packaging or bands.

[StingMeadery]

I don't understand why a plain cardboard sleeve around the current boxes wouldn't satisfy whatever they are trying to do here.

Or even a genuine stamped/sealed Outer box, with another stamped/sealed Inner box contained within "system"...

Would be a minimal increase in overall production and end consumer cost and solve all issues...

The outer box could be "consumed with compliance" and the inner box remain "free from compliant corruption".

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CaptainQuintero]

I don't understand why a plain cardboard sleeve around the current boxes wouldn't satisfy whatever they are trying to do here.

Yep, use those low quality cardboard mache ones LGC come in, slap health stickers all over them and be done with it. No bands on the cigars inside but the dress box/SLB inside the sleeve is kept the same as they currently are.

Everyone is happy?

[Blakes]

Seems like the perfect solution to keep everyone happy.

[HarveyBoulevard]

The anti tobacco people will never be happy until they eradicate smoking tobacco of any kind, in any form, anywhere. They believe they know better and are bound and determined to impose their will on those of us who choose to enjoy the leaf. This is just one of many steps they intend on taking. Sad.

[polarbear]

Seems like the perfect solution to keep everyone happy.

Thats why it will never happen

[DrunkenMonkey]

Yup. The people doing this don't want everyone to be happy.