Since the days of the Marlboro Man, many things have changed in the marketing and advertising of tobacco. For one thing, changes in public smoking laws in the United States have publicized the dangers of smoking and created a wider understanding of the challenges of quitting the addictive habit.
But a new legal battle is brewing over a new government regulation that will require the use of disturbing graphic labels (such as the ones above) on tobacco products by the fall of 2012.
As a public health measure, the FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) is proposing new standards for the requirement that tobacco manufacturers publicize health risks on cigarette cartons. The proposed labels would occupy the top half of the front and back of a cigarette pack and may even include images of diseased lungs or a corpse on an autopsy table (imagine being the designer on this project!). The labels would go one step further than the sort of prominent public health warnings required on cigarette cartons in the UK, for example.
The tobacco companies are united in their opposition to the measure, and have come together to sue the federal government on the basis of the violation of free speech rights. In the words of the lawsuit: “Never before in the United States have producers of a lawful product been required to use their own packaging and advertising to convey an emotionally-charged government message urging adult consumers to shun their products.”
Putting aside any personal feeling about smoking, it’s interesting to question whether the government is going too far in this proposed regulation. After all, what if unhealthy soft drinks or candy bars faced the same requirement?
Second hand smoke is a “known carcinogen”. Smoking should be outlawed. Period! This should not be a “lawful” product.
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/TobaccoCancer/secondhand-smoke
They should really bring back the “Tumor causing teeth staining smelling puking habit” campaign. It worked for me when I was a kid.
I don’t think the government is going too far here. It should be very very very very obvious to anyone what is going to happen if they become a smoker. Everyone should be fully informed that they’re throwing away their health and possibly their life. Graphic images are a fantastic way to fully inform those who don’t bother to read.
This very graphic style of packaging has been used in Australia for many years – with little, or no effect on those addicted to smoking. There are also very graphic tv ads demonstrating the effects of smoking. Recently the Australian government has introduced laws for plain packaging of cigarettes and, of course, the tobacco companies are threatening litigation. Cigarettes are jam-packed full of known carcinogens and addictive substances which, if found in any other consumer product, would be banned by Health Agencies across the world.
I think the government is going WAY too far. It is a violation of free speech in a way, because other potentially harmful products are allowed to advertise however they want. In my opinion, tobacco companies were gracious to agree to all advertising bans in the first place. If they want to sell tobacco, let them. It’s up to the consumer to change the status quo, not the product itself.
And in this day and age, surely no one actually thinks smoking is harmless?!?
Canada has been doing this for years. If you want to smoke, you will smoke regardless of what image is on the packaging. People in the U.S. need to get up to speed and stop complaining about these petty things. Maybe if the government did take more control over little things like this, there won’t be bigger problems down the road. And to compare smoking to candy and soft drinks is just ridiculous! Have some sense people! you ever hear of candy and sugary drinks killing someone? No! It’s called self control!
There is no disagreement among the physicians and sane people that smoking is harmful for health. It is one of the major causes of lung cancer and other diseases. It is also one of the major causes of death. billig webdesign firma