MONTREAL - Michel Kelly Gagnon of the Montreal Economic Institute says research shows plain packaging for cigarettes has been at best, ineffective, and at worst, harmful.

Gagnon told CTV Montreal's Mutsumi Takahashi in an interview that the federal government's plan to increase health warnings on cigarette packages may not have the desired effect.

The Montreal Economic Institute released a report Monday entitled "Plain Packaging and its Unintended Consequences."