Policy Address 2026: Hong Kong to standardise cigarette pack designs in bid to discourage smoking

Hong Kong's leader John Lee announced plans to standardise cigarette pack designs starting next year as part of efforts to discourage residents from smoking. This move, made during the city's annual Policy Address on September 16, 2026, involves replacing existing designs with plain packaging, stripping away brand logos, colors, and decorative elements.

The government's decision aligns with recommendations from the World Health Organization, which asserts that plain packaging will undermine the brand effect and direct consumers' attention to health warnings on the packs. The regulation will come into effect on December 1, 2027, after a nine-month transition period. This initiative is part of a series of policies implemented in recent years aimed at deterring smoking in Hong Kong, including raising taxes on cigarettes and cracking down on alternative smoking products.

These measures have contributed to a significant decline in smoking rates, which fell from 23.3% of residents aged 15 or above in the early 1980s to just 8.5% last year, according to the Department of Health.