烟草在线据新西兰先驱报报道编译　　澳大利亚政府对大烟草公司取得的宪法胜利，预计将激起国际上针对卷烟营销的新行动。

　　澳大利亚高等法院认为，计划12月开始生效的平包装法律是合法的，这给包括新西兰、英国和印度在内的其他有兴趣效仿的国家开启了一个先例。

　　今年4月，新西兰内阁原则上同意效仿澳大利亚的做法，但还需要受到公众意见咨询的制约。

　　烟草公司已经接受澳大利亚高等法院的决定，并已经开始遵守要求实行绿色平装、印制大的图片健康警语和限于一般字体的品牌名称的新法律。

　　但由于多米尼加共和国、乌克兰和洪都拉斯根据世界贸易组织的规则提出了磋商的请求，称这项法律违反了关于知识产权和贸易壁垒的国际协议，这项法律在海外仍然面临着挑战。

　　澳大利亚国家心脏基金会执行会长林恩·罗伯兹说，高等法院的决定是全球对抗吸烟引起的“大屠杀”行动中的一个重要里程碑。

　　她说：“澳大利亚在降低吸烟率方面已经成为世界的领袖……如今取得的胜利是向全世界发出了信号：我们处于正确的轨道上。许多国家都一直在密切关注这个案件，如今他们将设法执行自己的立法。”

　　吸烟与健康委员会主席麦克·道博说，高等法院的这个决定是全球烟草业遭遇的最糟糕的惨败，而公共健康协会执行理事麦克·摩尔则对一个实力雄厚的全球产业居然也无法收买政府的政策或高等法院的决定表示十分满意。

　　澳大利亚已经制定了从禁止在海滩、公园、公共场所和饭店内吸烟，到禁止烟草展示、烟草广告和烟草赞助的一些世界上最严厉的立法，而平装是澳大利亚最近加大反烟措施的新做法。

　　推行旨在打消购烟者——尤其是青年人购烟念头的带有吸烟引起的可能后果的恐怖图片的绿色平装的决定，遭到了烟草巨头们的激烈抵制。

　　同时还命令烟草公司赔偿政府损失的澳大利亚高等法院，将在今年晚些时候发布其做出这一决定的理由。

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.