The federal government Tuesday unveiled nine graphic images that will be required on all cigarette packs and advertising as part of a powerful new warning strategy.
The images include a picture of a man smoking through a tracheotomy hole in his throat, a horribly diseased lung, mottled teeth and gums, a man breathing with an oxygen mask and a man’s body with a large scar running down the chest. They will be accompanied by messages such as, “Warning: Cigarettes are addictive,” “Warning: Cigarettes cause cancer” and “Warning: Smoking can kill you.”
“President Obama is committed to protecting our nation’s children and the American people from the dangers of tobacco use,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. “These labels are frank, honest and powerful depictions of the health risks of smoking, and they will help encourage smokers to quit, and prevent children from smoking.”
Beginning on Oct. 22, 2012, any cigarette makers that do not put the new warnings on their packaging will not be allowed to sell their brands in the United States. The warnings, which will replace those that cigarette packs began carrying 25 years ago, will cover half the front and back of each pack and 20 percent of each large ad.
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