Retailer fumes about new cigarette packaging laws

THE owner of the Cobbitty General Store has condemned the federal government's plan to implement plain packaging for all cigarettes.
Debbie Zarbalis said the new laws, to be implemented on January 1 next year, would slow down customer service times and make the job more confusing.

"Nearly every second or third person (we serve) buys cigarettes," Mrs Zarbalis said.

"Our cigarettes aren't on display but we get asked all the time if we sell them."

Mrs Zarbalis said there was the possibility her business's reputation for fast service could be affected by the amount of time it could take to serve cigarette customers once plain packaging is introduced.

"Our customers work long hours and they only get a short time for lunch," she said.

"If it takes a long time to serve we will need to employ more staff."

An employee at the Cobbitty General Store, Vicki Thick, said the new packaging would make it difficult to find the brand customers were after.

"None of us smoke so we don't know what cigarettes are 4mg and what are 12mg," Mrs Thick said.

"It is going to be more time consuming to sell cigarettes."

Federal health minister Nicola Roxon said the plain packaging was part of the government's attempt to reduce the toll smoking took on Australians.

"Plain packaging will help to reduce the number of people who start smoking, particularly young people, and it will save lives," Ms Roxon said.

"Research shows that branding and packaging design can mislead about the safety of tobacco, reduce the effectiveness of graphic health warnings and increase the appeal of tobacco to young people."

Ms Roxon said the federal government would not back down in the face of the campaign against the laws being run by the tobacco companies.

"I think this is just the beginning of a large and co-ordinated campaign by big tobacco," she said.

"But, we will fight back. We have won these fights in the past and we will win again."

Doctor Ross Mckay, from the Camden Medical Centre, said smoking had "a very deleterious effect on anyone who smokes".

"A lot of smokers enjoy it and will not quit until they make up their minds to do so," Dr Mckay said.