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New Rules Mean Less Tobacco Death
November 10, 2010
Statement from Peter Slocum, Vice President for Advocacy, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ, regarding new rules requiring large, graphic warning labels on cigarette packs and ads.
“Large, in-your-face, shocking depictions of the devastation that smoking unleashes on the body are hard to ignore. Once these rules are fully implemented, every time a smoker picks up a pack of cigarettes or looks at a tobacco ad they won’t be able to deny that the product they are about to ingest is toxic and frequently results in death. Tobacco companies will be forced to show that, when used as directed, their product kills.
| An example of proposed new graphic warnings on cigarettes from the FDA's website |
The graphic warning labels on cigarette packs and in tobacco advertising announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today will have a tremendous impact on educating children and adults about the dangers of smoking. Nearly 4,000 kids pick up their first cigarette every day, and the majority of adult smokers started as youth.
These rules are historic, but the tobacco industry has adapted and found ways to get around anti-tobacco laws and regulations in the past. Right now, it is unclear how these new rules will be implemented at point of sale in stores, a major location where a new generation of smokers - our kids -are influenced to try smoking. As the new rules are rolled out, to have the most impact, they must be applied in all places where tobacco advertising appears.”
Additional Notes:
· The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which grants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the manufacture, sale and marketing of tobacco products, mandates larger and more effective graphic labels which will cover 50 percent of the cigarette pack.
· The current warnings on tobacco products in the U.S. have not been changed in 25 years and are ineffective because of their inability to attract attention due to their size and placement on the packaging.
· The steps announced today are the first in a process over the next 15 months to fully implement this important portion of the law.
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