FDA wants smoking labels to scare smokers into quitting

Smokers are getting polite warnings about cancer and passing away on cigarette labels for decades, to little avail. Graphic images of disease and death appear on brand new cigarette caution labels being proposed by the Food and drug administration. In 2009 Congress empowered the FDA to regulate tobacco as a drug and also the brand new cigarette caution labels are evidence of the agencies more aggressive approach. Article resource – New cigarette warning labels show graphic effects of smoking by Personal Money Store.

Many in shock of new cigarette labels

New cigarette warning labels that graphically depict the consequences of smoking have been submitted by the FDA for public comment at fda.gov. The cigarette warning would be covering a lot of the pack. In fact, half the surface area would be covered. The pictures illustrate scenes that happen when people smoke. A body lying in a morgue with a t-shirt that says "I quit" on it, a woman smoking with a baby in her lap and a man smoking from a tracheotomy tube in his throat are all parts of these scenes. Images of blackened teeth along with cancerous mouths and organs already are required as labels on cigarettes in more than 30 countries.

What the public thinks about FDA cigarette warnings

36 proposed cigarette warning labels can be accessible for public comment until January 9 by the FDA. They’ll end up picking nine cigarette warnings. June 22 will be when this happens by. After October 22, 2012, all cigarette packs could have to have the brand new warning labels to them. In a statement, Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest cigarette manufacturer said it supported the newest warnings. The companies will likely change packaging in order to make it seem like the message isn't there as much, said the director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at the Mayo Clinic. The New York Times reports this is Dr. Richard Hurt.

Info in tobacco

Tobacco use causes 443,000 deaths in the U.S. annually and costs $96 billion, according to the federal government. More than 46 million adults and nearly 3.5 million teenagers smoke. 4,000 teenagers and children try smoking for the very first time every day while 1,000 become regular.

Citations

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/11/11/health/policy/11tobacco.html

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/10/AR2010111003255.html

CNN

cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/10/cigarette.warnings/index.html?npt=NP1

FDA

fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/CigaretteProductWarningLabels/default.htm