煙草在線據新西蘭先驅報報道編譯　　澳大利亞政府對大煙草公司取得的憲法勝利，預計將激起國際上針對卷煙營銷的新行動。

　　澳大利亞高等法院認為，計劃12月開始生效的平包裝法律是合法的，這給包括新西蘭、英國和印度在內的其他有興趣效仿的國家開啟了一個先例。

　　今年4月，新西蘭內閣原則上同意效仿澳大利亞的做法，但還需要受到公眾意見咨詢的制約。

　　煙草公司已經接受澳大利亞高等法院的決定，并已經開始遵守要求實行綠色平裝、印制大的圖片健康警語和限于一般字體的品牌名稱的新法律。

　　但由于多米尼加共和國、烏克蘭和洪都拉斯根據世界貿易組織的規則提出了磋商的請求，稱這項法律違反了關于知識產權和貿易壁壘的國際協議，這項法律在海外仍然面臨著挑戰。

　　澳大利亞國家心臟基金會執行會長林恩·羅伯茲說，高等法院的決定是全球對抗吸煙引起的“大屠殺”行動中的一個重要里程碑。

　　她說：“澳大利亞在降低吸煙率方面已經成為世界的領袖……如今取得的勝利是向全世界發出了信號：我們處于正確的軌道上。許多國家都一直在密切關注這個案件，如今他們將設法執行自己的立法。”

　　吸煙與健康委員會主席麥克·道博說，高等法院的這個決定是全球煙草業遭遇的最糟糕的慘敗，而公共健康協會執行理事麥克·摩爾則對一個實力雄厚的全球產業居然也無法收買政府的政策或高等法院的決定表示十分滿意。

　　澳大利亞已經制定了從禁止在海灘、公園、公共場所和飯店內吸煙，到禁止煙草展示、煙草廣告和煙草贊助的一些世界上最嚴厲的立法，而平裝是澳大利亞最近加大反煙措施的新做法。

　　推行旨在打消購煙者——尤其是青年人購煙念頭的帶有吸煙引起的可能后果的恐怖圖片的綠色平裝的決定，遭到了煙草巨頭們的激烈抵制。

　　同時還命令煙草公司賠償政府損失的澳大利亞高等法院，將在今年晚些時候發布其做出這一決定的理由。

Cigarette Ruling to Light Way for Others

　　The Australian Government's constitutional victory over major tobacco companies is expected to unleash a new international move against cigarette marketing.

　　The High Court's finding that plain packaging laws - due to come into force in December - are legal has set a precedent that other countries including New Zealand, Britain and India are interested in following.

　　In April the New Zealand Cabinet agreed in principle to follow Australia, subject to public consultation.

　　Tobacco companies have accepted the High Court decision and undertaken to comply with the new laws requiring plain green packaging, large and graphic health warnings and brand names confined to a small generic font.

　　But the law still faces challenges overseas, with the Dominican Republic, Ukraine and Honduras filing requests for consultations under World Trade Organisation rules, claiming that it breaches international agreements on intellectual property rights and barriers to trade.

　　National Heart Foundation chief executive Lyn Roberts said the High Court decision was a significant milestone in the global fight against the "carnage" caused by smoking.

　　"Australia has been a world leader in reducing smoking rates ... and this win today is a signal across the world that we are on the right track," she said. "Many nations have been watching this case closely, and many will now seek to implement their own legislation."

　　Council on Smoking and Health president Mike Daube said the decision was the global tobacco industry's worst defeat, while Public Health Association chief executive Mike Moore was pleased that even the massive resources of a global industry could not buy government policy or High Court decisions.

　　Plain packaging is the latest tightening of anti-tobacco measures in Australia, which already has some of the world's toughest laws that range from bans on smoking at beaches, parks, public spaces and restaurants to display, advertising and sponsorships.

　　The decision to introduce plain packaging in a green hue calculated to deter buyers - especially the young - and with horrific pictures of possible consequences was fought bitterly by tobacco giants.

　　The court, which also ordered the tobacco companies to pay the Government's costs, will release the reasons for its decision later this year.