Erase the Glamour From Cigarette Packaging

Would people smoke less if cigarettes were sold in plain packages? Early evidence from Australia, which has required them for three years, suggests they might. The plain packs -- which prohibit design features and logos such as Marlboro's red and white angles or Camel's dromedary, forbid pictures aside from health warnings, and require brand names to be in a uniform typeface -- reduce the appeal of cigarettes, research indicates, and prompt people to think more about quitting.

Further evidence comes from tobacco companies, four of which are now suing the U.K. to block a new rule that, starting in May, will require cigarettes in Britain to be sold in plain packs, too. Obviously, the companies appreciate the power of logos, color and other design flourishes to give smoking a glamorous and comfortable appeal.