About the Campaign

This website is owned and managed by Forest (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco). Forest is supported by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco Limited and Gallaher Limited (a member of the Japan Tobacco Group of Companies). The tobacco companies are proud to support this campaign. However the views expressed on this or any other Forest-affiliated website are those of Forest alone.

Background

Since 2002 governments in the UK have passed legislation to ban:

• tobacco advertising and sponsorship
• smoking in all enclosed public places (including every pub and private members' club)
• cigarette vending machines and the
• display of tobacco in shops and other retail outlets

Other anti-smoking initiatives have included graphic health warnings on packs and increasing the duty on tobacco to record levels.

Plain packaging is the next battleground in the war on tobacco, a legal product that raises over £10 billion a year for the Treasury.

In spring 2012 the Coalition Government will launch a three-month public consultation that will enable you to have YOUR say on plain packaging. We want as many people as possible to engage in the consultation, hence this campaign.

If you are opposed to plain packaging all you have to do is register your details in the form in the right hand column. It's quick and easy and your opposition to plain packaging will be fed through to the national consultation. If requested to do so we will also send you further information as the campaign develops. You can unsubscribe at any time.

For more information about the issues click here. To contact us click here. For quotes from other opponents of plain packaging click here. For further reading click here.

Meet the team

The Hands Off Our Packs campaign is led by Angela Harbutt who worked in the television broadcast industry for 20 years specialising in news and marketing. During that time she launched a market research, forecasting and strategy company employing over 30 people.

After leaving the television industry Harbutt worked for Sir Menzies Campbell when he was leader of the Liberal Democrat party. She has also assisted a number of civil rights and freedom groups including NO2ID during its successful campaign against compulsory ID cards. Today Angela runs the popular blog Liberal Vision. 

Also on the team is Amul Pandya, a law graduate from Southampton University. Since graduating in 2009 Pandya has written and researched for the Centre for Social Cohesion, The Henry Jackson Society and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). 

Amul writes for the online graduate magazine The Vibe and has worked as a research analyst for a leading emerging markets stockbroker. He is chairman of the IEA's young professionals' group I On The Future. He hosts regular networking events that bring together like-minded free marketeers under the age of 30 working in finance, law and industry.

Events and other initiatives

In February we hosted a very successful launch party in Westminster. For further initiatives, watch this space – and don't forget to sign up (right).

Contact us

If you would like to contact Hands Off Our Packs:

Media enquiries: 
+44 (0) 7071 766537 (24 hours)

General enquiries:
+44 (0) 1223 370156 (office hours)

Email:
contact@handsoffourpacks.com

Our Supporters 

Hands Off Our Packs is supported by adults from all walks of life. They include smokers and non-smokers who are sick of being patronised by the tobacco control industry.

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