Hong Kong will standardise designs on all cigarette packs starting from the end of next year in a bid to discourage residents from smoking, the city’s leader John Lee has announced.
A man smoking on the waterfront promenade at Tsim Sha Tsui on September 5, 2024. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Lee made the announcement during his annual Policy Address on Wednesday, after the government gazetted subsidiary legislation last week that will strip cigarette packs of their designs and replace them with plain packaging.
In a press release last Friday, the government said the measure was recommended by the World Health Organization.
“Plain packaging will remove brand logos, various colours and the decorative elements including slogans and signs on the packaging, fundamentally undermining the brand effect,” the press release stated.
It added that plain packaging would direct consumers’ attention to the health warnings printed on the cigarette packs.
The government will begin rolling out the standardised packaging from March next year, with a nine-month transition period before the measure is fully enforced on December 1, 2027.
The buffer window is meant to allow retailers time to clear existing stock, authorities said.
Chief Executive John Lee delivered his fifth Policy Address and Hong Kong’s first five-year plan on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at the Legislative Council. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Hong Kong has implemented a raft of policies in recent years to deter smoking, including raising taxes on cigarettes and cracking down on alternative smoking products.
The smoking rate has declined from 23.3 per cent of residents aged 15 or above in the early 1980s to 8.5 per cent last year, according to the Department of Health.