Ireland follows Australia as the second country in the world to legislate for the plain packaging of tobacco products.

Minister for Health Dr. James Reilly said that while many arguments will be made against the move, he is confident the legislation will be enacted early next year, supported purely by the fact that it will save lives.

Under the reform, cigarette boxes in Ireland will be a generic size and colour, and will only feature the brand name on the bottom and a large graphic picture showing the harmful effects of cigarettes, for example images of diseased lungs from a smoker. To read more about this article click here.