"France is on the verge of introducing some of the most stringent anti-smoking legislation in the world. As part of a new proposal, which was first announced Thursday, tobacco companies will be forced to sell their cigarette sticks in plain, neutral packaging in the country, or, as it was explained by French health minister Marisol Touraine, boxes of "the same shape, same size, same color, same typeset." ¶ Australia, which has mandated that cigarettes be sold in dark olive, logo-free boxes since 2012, is the only country thus far to have enforced entirely neutral cigarette packaging. If the new French plan, which is expected to be part of a sweeping health bill, passes through Parliament this autumn, France will become the second. But there's good reason to believe many others might follow." - × × ×