Australia’s tobacco marketing laws give retailers a headache

SYDNEY (Reuters) – James Yu, who runs the King of the Pack tobacconist in central Sydney, is indignant about Australia’s stringent anti-tobacco laws making manufactures package cigarettes in drab olive green packs with pictures of ill babies and diseased body parts. The packages, mandatory from Saturday when the laws take effect, make it hard to tell brands apart, complicating deliveries and adding to costs in his cramped, dark booth. The legislation, the most Draconian in the world, strips packs of all branding, bright colors and logos, leaving only the name printed in identical small font. …