Digital News Report – There are going to be new warning messages that will printed on cigarette packages and in advertisements starting in September 2012. The warnings consist of nine different, sometimes gruesome, images that go along with accompanying messages. These warnings point out how smoking cigarettes can lead to serious health risks not only for the smoker, but also for those who live close by them. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted the new approved warning images and messages on their website today.
The FDA will require all cigarette packaging and ads in the United States to have these warning messages and graphics starting in September 2012. This is the first time that cigarette warnings were updated in over 25 years. The old warning message is in the form of text only and is usually placed in a way that is not prominent. Now with the new rules, cigarette packages will have to display these warnings in a larger more prominent section of the packages and in their advertisements.
The new messages will clearly communicate to the consumer the health risks involved with smoking cigarettes. They will warn of death, addiction, cancer, lung disease, strokes, and heart disease. They also will have one positive message, showing a smoker who has decided to quit. They hope the new messages will stop teens from ever wanting to start smoking cigarettes in the first place.
The FDA gained authority over regulating cigarette marketing with the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which President Obama signed into law on June 22, 2009. Kathleen Sebelius is Secretary of Health and Human Services said on the White House blog today, that people who smoke cigarettes cost the U.S. economy around $200 billion in health expenses every year due to lost productivity.
By: Jason Chang
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