Are cigarette-warning labels in the United States strong enough?

The text warning labels on packages of cigarettes in the United States have not significantly changed in years. Many smokers have become so accustomed to the warning label; they no longer even notice them. Several countries outside of the U.S. are using innovation to make that warning label into a picture that will grab everyone’s attention.

Pictures are able to convey an idea in a way that words cannot. The warning pictures show the truth of what smoking will do to you. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.” Due to the fact that our society is being legally poisoned, I hope the United States will want to step up to the plate and institute a more severe warning label system. I suggest the tobacco companies will be responsible for the expense of printing these new labels on every package of cigarettes it produces.

In australia they have cigarette warnings with pictures of how smoking damages your blood vessels preventing proper blood circulation. In Belgium they have pictures of deformed babies. In Brazil they show pictures of tissue necrosis caused by smoking. In Canada they have a picture of 2 little boys with a caption that reads, “Don’t poison us.” In Chile they show a picture of a man with a hole in his throat so he can breathe. In Europe there is a picture of a dead body at the morgue complete with toe tag. In Hong Kong there is a picture showing the aging effects of smoking. In India, there is a picture of a little baby on a respirator. In Jordan there are pictures of cancer infected lungs. In New Zealand there is a picture of rotting teeth with mouth cancer caused by smoking. In Romania it shows a picture of a limp cigarette representing sexual impotence that smoking causes. In Singapore there are pictures of neck cancer and miscarried babies. In Thailand there is a picture of a stroke victim caused by smoking. In Uruguay there are pictures showing the effects of second hand smoke. In Venezuela there is a picture of fists that are handcuffed and tied by a burning cigarette representing the prison of addiction. This list is not complete but an example. All of these countries have more than one picture to represent the extreme danger of smoking.

In addition, most of these countries outside of the US also demand more space for warning on the cigarette package. Many require up to 50% of the space on the package, and also to be on front and back. I strongly believe US cigarette warning labels need to be brought up to date and improved.