HEALTH campaigners are calling for an "absurd loophole" on tobacco advertising to be closed by changing the law so cigarettes are sold in plain boxes.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) made the plea after research found that almost four out of five young Scots think selling cigarettes in plain packs, without colourful branding or logos on them, and with larger health warnings, would make it easier for people to smoke less or quit.
One in 10 16 to 25-year-olds who were surveyed said they considered pack design when deciding which brand of cigarettes to buy.
Almost 14% of Scots in this age group said they believed one make of cigarettes was less harmful than another, based on pack design alone, when all cigarettes contain harmful toxins, tar and carbon monoxide.
The research, carried out for the BHF, also found 90% thought plain packs were less attractive than branded ones.
A total of 2771 young people took part in the online survey by OnePoll, including 216 in Scotland.
Ben McKendrick, senior policy and public affairs manager at BHF Scotland, said: "As informed adults we know that smoking is a deadly addiction that kills half of all smokers. But young people are not always fully aware of the risks and the power of branding holds more sway.
"Tobacco advertising is rightly banned in the UK. Yet packaging clearly still advertises tobacco on the cigarette box.
"It's an absurd loophole the tobacco industry takes full advantage of to lure in new young smokers.
"We must close this if we really want to protect younger generations from taking up this fatal habit."
The BHF is sending copies of its report on the issue to all MSPs and Scottish MPs.
It is urging the UK Government to follow the example of Australia, where politicians last month agreed cigarettes should be sold in standardised plain packs of the same colour, with no logos or branded imagery.
The new packs, which will be compulsory there from December 2012, will also include large picture health warnings on both the back and the front. The BHF wants the UK Government, which has the power to regulate advertising, to introduce a tobacco plain packaging bill into Parliament.
It also wants UK ministers to seek amendments to the EU (European Union) Tobacco products Directive, which would allow large picture health warnings on cigarette packs.
The UK Government has a planned public consultation on plain packaging for tobacco products, which will take place in spring next year.
ASH, the anti-smoking charity, has backed calls for cigarettes to be placed in plain packets, and said that it welcomed any moves by the government to limit people's exposure to tobacco.
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, said: "As a society we need to protect young people from the harms of tobacco and help prevent them taking up this deadly habit.
"The evidence suggests that plain packaging will make tobacco products less attractive to children but tobacco com-panies will oppose any such moves.
"In order to see the benefits of plain packaging legislation we need to get the details right and the extra time before the consultation will allow that to happen."
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