The law is definitely a positive step towards the long battle to end smoking addiction. Media plays an important role on smoking initiation among youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Cigarette advertising and promotion, smoking by adults and older siblings, access to cigarettes, price of cigarettes, peer pressure and the degree of exposure to effective counter-advertising and school-based prevention can influence patterns of initiation.” http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00052816.htm

It would take some time before any positive impact is visible.  On the other hand, the tobacco industry might not take this law very nicely. In previous instances, the tobacco industry has claimed that advertising only influences brand preference and there is no link between advertising and smoking initiation. Although the growth was lagging in recent times, Cigarette and Tobacco industry is still a massive industry. IBISWorld  reported that Cigarette and Tobacco Product Manufacturing Industry’s revenue was a staggering $42.9 billion in 2008. http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/retail.aspx?indid=293&chid=1

This law may affect the major players in the industry such as Altria Group, Inc., Reynolds American, Inc. and Lorillard, Inc.