By Peter Evans
LONDON--The U.K. government on Wednesday passed a law banning
branding on cigarette packs, to be implemented in 2016.
The law passed in the House of Commons by a vote of 367 in favor
to 113 against.
Under the law, cigarettes will be sold in uniform packs,
stripped of distinctive logos and colors.
The maker's name will appear in a standardized font, with the
rest of the pack dominated by unsettling pictures and slogans
warning that smoking causes cancer, impotence, blindness and
death.
In 2012, Australia became the first country in the world to pass
a plain packaging law for cigarettes. The U.K. will become the
third country after Ireland passed a similar law earlier this
month.
Write to Peter Evans at peter.evans@wsj.com
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