So after all the huffing and puffing we finally got there.
From this weekend smokers will no longer be able to buy packs with fewer than 20 cigarettes or pouches of rolling tobacco smaller that 30g.
Previously you could buy 10g pouches so you now have to buy three times as much.
If you're trying to reduce your consumption without going cold Turkey you'll now have to buy the larger pack and do your best to resist temptation.
ASH says the measure is justified because "It has a greater effect on younger people and those on low incomes, as for obvious reasons, they’re more sensitive to price."
Or, in the words of director of policy Hazel Cheeseman, "It will hit poorer smokers harder." Nice.
Other regulations include larger, more gruesome health warnings. Not only does this suggest the previous graphic warnings weren't working, it also begs the question, what's next?
At this point I could suggest something in very poor taste but it might put ideas into their heads. After all, graphic health warnings were considered shocking once but it didn't stop their introduction when other policies failed to produce the desired results.
Bizarrely, while smaller tobacco packs and pouches have been outlawed, vapers are today coming to terms with the fact that the maximum volume of e-liquid available for purchase legally is now restricted to 10ml.
The nicotine strength of e-liquids is restricted to 20mg/ml, and e-cigarette tanks are restricted to no more than 2ml.
In addition, labelling requirements on e-cigarette products now include a warning about nicotine being addictive even though nicotine itself is relatively harmless and there is very little evidence that (a) non-smokers are vaping, or (b) vaping is a gateway to tobacco.
The whole thing is a complete mess but that's regulators for you.
Then there's plain packaging which is a classic example of the UK government gold-plating EU regulations.
I'd like to think Brexit will produce fewer regulations but I'm not convinced it will. Regulators regulate.
Anyway I've said all I want to say about plain packaging (we've been campaigning on this issue since 2011) but I'll just echo something Chris Snowdon wrote yesterday:
All the smokers I know have reacted to the new packs with a shrug of the shoulders. The notion that changing the colour of the pack will reduce the appeal of what’s inside is as risible as it ever was and some of the new graphic warnings cause genuine mirth (the baby with the cigarette dummy is a particular favourite).
Actually, the Friends of Forest Facebook page features some fairly tasty comments by aggrieved smokers but, by and large, the smokers I've talked to or heard on the radio have also been pretty phlegmatic.
Plain packs certainly won't stop them smoking and we're still waiting for evidence from Australia (where plain packs were introduced more than four years ago) that they've had any impact on youth smoking rates.
Talking of which, when tobacco control campaigners refer to "young people" don't be fooled into thinking they mean children.
The term may include teenagers but it's now a catch-all expression covering people well into their twenties.
Last night, on Five Live, I was on with a specialist in paediatrics who appeared to argue that because our brains continue to develop until we're 25 anyone below that age is vulnerable.
I think he was referring to addictive substances including nicotine but I'd have to listen again. It explains however his espousal of the cautionary principle, which he applied even to e-cigarettes.
The point is, the age restriction on tobacco sales has risen from 16 to 18, at which point we are legally said to be adults.
In many US states however it's illegal to smoke (or drink alcohol) below the age of 21.
Now we're being told that our brains continue to develop – and are vulnerable to addictive substances – as late as 25.
Do you see where I'm going with this? Increasingly we're being spun the idea that anyone below the age of 25 is 'vulnerable' to nicotine, alcohol and so on.
Below that age you will be treated like a child and subjected to increasing restrictions on anything considered harmful to "young people".
Finally, I hope the folks at ASH are enjoying a little rest and recuperation this weekend. They were so excited, "counting down" the days and hours to full implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive and plain packaging, I imagine they could hardly sleep with excitement.
Odd, I know, but packaging does that to some people.
Update: Regarding the new regs, you can read Forest's reaction here:
Cigarettes sold in plain green packs under new rules (BBC News)
New cigarettes packaging rules come into force (ITV News)
Stricter cigarette packaging rules come into force in UK (Guardian)
Plain cigarette packs 'milestone' as critics claim policy treats smokers like 'naughty children' (The Herald)
All cigarettes must be sold in standardised green packets from tomorrow (Press Association)
Update: Pat Nurse has also being doing her bit. Pat was on Five Live Breakfast with Hazel Cheeseman of ASH this morning.
To listen click here. The discussion starts around 1:08.