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World No Tobacco Day 2009 Poster
Would this graphic image get you to stop smoking?
Do you think it might prevent you -- or your kids -- from starting in the first place?
That's what members of the Pan American Health Organization, a regional office of the World Health Organization that covers North and South America, are hoping. They can do better than that. They say there's proof that graphic images of tobacco's effects are an extremely effective deterrent.
Other "sample" images include a toddler in the ICU hooked up to an oxygen mask inhaling ciggy fumes, stressing the point that second hand smoke is dangerous, and a real human brain leaking blood to emphasize stroke risk.
The group is asking that images like these be mandatory on all cigarette boxes and cartons. The plea comes on the eve of World No Tobacco Day 2009.
"Tobacco companies should not be allowed to fool people into thinking that smoking is anything but harmful and ugly," said the PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses.
As for the proof that these images work:
In Brazil, which began requiring the warnings in 2002, 54 percent of smokers changed their minds about the effects of smoking, and two-thirds said the warnings made them want to quit. Calls to a toll-free "quit line" in Brazil increased nearly ninefold.
In Canada, 58 percent of smokers said they thought more about the health effects of smoking because of the warnings, 44 percent said the warnings increased their motivation to quit, and 27 percent said they smoked less inside their homes as a result of picture warnings.
How would you react if the powers-that-be mandated these graphic images on all cigarette boxes in the U.S.? Would it work? Would it change your mind?
Comments (27)
I think there's a point where people are overstepping their bounderies with what they force cigarette companies to do.
If they do this, then shouldn't alcohol have to have a pile of vomit, an atrophied brain, a horrid liver? Shouldn't McDonald's have to have someone dead of a heart attack, or a picture of 700 pounds of fat?
Where is the line drawn?
I'm not saying I don't think they should do it, but I have an issue with the government forcing the appearance of packaging as threats, especially if it only applies to one specific thing.
I don't smoke, but I honestly don't believe those packages will stop a well seasoned smoker. My MIL and her mother are two of the biggest smokers I know of, and while they know it's not healthy, they acknowledge that nothing will stop them from smoking. If people really want their "fix," there is little that can be done to stop them from buying cigars.
I have never seen a mouth like that from smoking I DO know it can cause cancer and kill I have seen it do that many times. But it's kind of common sense. You want to increase your chance for death go for it. I think they know the risks. Unless your mentally ill.
In Europe the cigarette boxes have warnings like Cigarettes kill. I though it was kind of funny but it didn't stop people from buying them.
i dont know i think ids would find those boxes funny and want to smoke even more
I'm with Rana.
And I'm convinced I'm better off smoking than eating the majority of what's put into our food. So doesn't do anything for me.
I think that they may prevent some one from starting but the addictive power of cigarettes is too strong for most just to stop cold turkey.
As far as the dangers of alcohol or fast food, we have to realize that both of those can be consumed in moderation safely. There is no safe cigarettes.
I agree with teamquinn. I don't think it would make someone quit, but it would stop people from starting. The effects of cigarretttes aren't real till it hits your family, but if you saw reminders, maybe it wouldn't be that way.
As for the dangers of alchohol and fast food, while they can both be consumed safely in moderation, I think there should be warnings of cirrosis of the liver and diabetes and things like that all over the place, not just on packaging.
Personally, I feel that organizations and such are putting too much into getting people to quit. As a smoker, I know the dangers of cigarette smoke, and I am also well aware of the dangers of second hand smoke. This is why I smoke on my front porch, or on my swing outside. Yes, even in the dead of winter you will find me bundled up and smoking a cigarette.
I think it is a person's choice whether to smoke or not, just as it is their choice to eat fattening foods from places like McDonalds or BK. No one forces them to do it. It is a choice.
If these organizations REALLY want to get people to quit smoking, then perhaps they should stop wasting money on worthless warnings on TV and magazines, and spend that money finding ways to help people quit. The warnings are doing nothing. What smokers need is an outlet, or a source of help that will help them get past the cravings, the need for nicotine. I would know this, I speak from experience. Know how many times I have tried to quit, without success??