There are just a matter of weeks before small packs of fags and tobacco are banned completely.
 

  THE cost of smoking is set to soar as the government ban 10-packs completely, in a bid to force people to quit the dangerous habit.
 

  The cheapest packet will cost £8.82 following the move – which comes into play on May 21 and aims to discourage younger and poorer smokers.
 

  Here’s everything you need to know about the ban – and how it will affect you.
 

  Why are small packs of cigarettes being banned?
 

  Smokers will no longer be able to buy smaller packs of cigarettes and rolling tobacco from May 21.
 

  Ten-packs of fags and smaller bags of roll-your-own tobacco will be banned – while menthols will be phased out completely by May 2020.
 

  At the moment, rolling tobacco comes in 10g and 20g packets – but soon 30g will be the smallest size.
 

  The ban includes some flavoured tobacco and cigarettes – including fruit, spice, herbs, alcohol, candy and vanilla.
 

  Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Action on Smoking and Health spokesperson Amanda Sandford said: "Cigarettes are already expensive and the price increase of cigarettes is a key factor in making people quit smoking.
 

  "So by removing the packet of ten cigarettes this means people will have to find that extra money for a packet.
 

  "It will hit poorer and younger smokers harder who are more likely to buy smaller packs."
 

  Elsewhere, Canadian campaigners are calling for the legal smoking age to be raised to 21, and pregnant women being offered £260 in shopping vouchers if they quit, as experts warn smoking will kill 8 million people EVERY YEAR by 2030.
 

  Meanwhile, vaping fans also face a new set of laws that come in next month – which will place restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes and e-liquids.
 

  Why do all cigarette boxes now have plain packaging?
 

  The aim of the laws are simple – to cut the number of people taking up smoking by making it less appealing to children and young people.
 

  Tobacco products have already been hidden under the counter, and now they are losing their colourful branding.
 

  According to Cancer Research, two-thirds of smokers start before the age of 18 – the beginning of an addiction which will kill up to two in three long-term smokers.
 

  The cigarette companies will be stripped of their branding, with boxes only displaying graphic images of smoking-related illnesses.
 

  Several studies have shown standard packs change attitudes and beliefs around smoking by reducing its appeal and making health warnings more prominent.
 

  It is also believed to stem myths that some lighter-coloured packs are less harmful as they contain lower tar.
 

  Standard packs also appear to be supported by most members of the public, with a survey by YouGov in January 2015 revealing 72 per cent support for standard packs compared to just 15 per cent against.
 

  When will the law come into force?
 

  Technically, the law came into force on May 20 2016, but companies were given a 12-month grace period to sell their old packs and bring in standardised packaging.
 

  From May 21 this year, anyone caught selling non-plain packs will face severe penalties.
 

  Has it been introduced anywhere else?
 

  Australia has had standardised packs since December 2012, and figures suggest smoking has declined since then.
 

  The number of daily smokers is reported to have fallen by 3% since 2010 to just 13% of the population.
 

  France has also banned branded packs, with laws coming into force on January 1.
 

  What will new plain cigarette packs look like?
 

  All packs will be a single colour "opaque couche" – a muddy green – described as the world’s ugliest colour.
 

  Brand names will be written in standard font, size and location on the pack, with health warnings covering at least 65% of the box, on the front, back and top.
 

  And there will be no side-sliding packs.
 

  How have tobacco companies reacted?
 

  Four of the world’s biggest tobacco firms launched a last-ditch legal bid against the move, but it failed.
 

  They claimed the new regulations violated several UK and EU laws and would destroy their property rights by making products indistinguishable from each other.
 

  They also claimed there was a lack of evidence that plain packaging would deter smokers.
 

  Smokers’ rights group Forest also said the new rules "treat adults like children and teenagers like idiots".
 

  Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International appealed the laws in the High Court last year.
 

  But Mr Justice Green dismissed all their grounds, saying: "The regulations were lawful when they were promulgated by Parliament and they are lawful now in the light of the most up-to-date evidence." 


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