The World Health Organization (WHO) says lives can be saved by plain packaging of tobacco products, announced in a press release May 31, which is World No Tobacco Day. According to WHO and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat, plain packaging would restrict, or even prohibit, the use of colors, logos, brand images and promotional information. Only the brand and product name could be displayed in a standard font style and color.

The slogan for this year’s World No Tobacco Day is “Get ready for plain packaging.”

Australia was the first country to implement the plain packaging concept, which kicked off there in December 2012. France, the UK and Northern Ireland began implementation on May 20, 2016. Other countries are also exploring the option.

Samples of plain packages are black, with large warnings advising the user that smoking kills. Graphic images on the packs show people dying from cancer. Dr. Douglas Bettcher, WHO’s Director for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, says, “It very clearly labels tobacco for what it is, the only legally available product worldwide that when used as intended kills up to half of its users.”

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan says, “Plain packaging reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products. It kills the glamour, which is appropriate for a product that kills people. It restricts tobacco advertising and promotion. It limits misleading packaging and labelling. And it increases the effectiveness of health warnings.”

Bettcher says the tobacco industry has been preparing for plain packaging for some time, “conducting massive misinformation campaigns to block the measure.”

According to WHO, 6 million people die from tobacco-related illnesses every year. About 5 million of those are from direct tobacco use. More than 600,000 die from second-hand smoke. That number is expected to rise to more than 8 million by 2030. More than 80 percent of those preventable deaths are expected to occur in developing countries.