MyChoice points out a wry truth about Australia’s ridiculous and ineffective plain packs laws:

Australia’s obsession with infantilising smokers has seen Canberra and the High Court bluntly refusing to acknowledge that preventing an entire industry from branding its products is a plain infringement of intellectual property.

…

Meanwhile, no-one can find any evidence that even suggests plain packaging has pushed smokers to quit, or prevented people from taking up smoking.

Tobacco producing nations, including the Dominican Republic and Cuba, argue that plain packaging laws create illegal obstacles to world trade.

…

Yes, Australia’s getting a lesson in free trade courtesy of communists.

There’s one bit of heartening news on the vaping horizon though: the EU has rejected the notorious Tobacco Products Directive, which would have either banned or tightly regulated most personal vaporizers.

It is a big win for harm reduction and an egg facial to nanny-state prohibitionists.
Links via Dick Puddlecote and the always vigilant Snowdon.