Disturbing images coming to U.S. cigarette packages

Smokers in the United States may soon be forced to view graphic and disturbing images illustrating the dangers of smoking every time they light up.

Expected to take effect within the next three years, new federal regulations would force tobacco companies to cover at least half their packages of cigarettes with shocking warning labels including images such as black teeth and rotting lungs.

It is all part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a bill President Barack Obama signed into law June 22.

Psychology professor Bryan Gibson, who conducted various studies on smoking, said the concept is a good idea, but could backfire if the images are too disturbing.

“By increasing fear about something, you can change behavior but, if you make it too scary, people tend to tune it out,” he said.

Modeled after Canada?

The bill gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products.

Within the next two years, the FDA will finalize the grisly images and tobacco companies will have 18 months to distribute them on packages.

Several tobacco companies, including Reynolds American Inc. and Lorillard Inc., filed lawsuits last week against the FDA, looking to prevent these regulations on the grounds of the companies’ First Amendment rights.

Canada was the first country to issue disturbing warning images on cigarette packs in 2000 and multiple countries, including Chile and Iran, have followed since.

According to healthcanada.com, the current number of smokers has fallen by 20 percent.

Since issuing stricter warnings, smoking in Canada has dropped to about 13 percent of the population, a five percent decrease since the warnings were issued.

Health services professor Mark Minelli said there is no magic strategy that will fix the issue of tobacco abuse in America and the problem can only be fixed by a number of different strategies.

“You can say it worked in Canada, but Canada isn’t the U.S.,” Minelli said. “You can’t automatically assume that just because it worked there, it will work in other populations in other countries.”

Local connection

David Sprunger, owner of Smokers Club in Mount Pleasant, 100 S. Mission St., said he is not opposed to having disgusting images placed on cigarette packages.

“Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, it’s a calculated risk,” he said. “People will keep smoking and we’ll keep providing for them.”

Sprunger is concerned with other regulations mandated by the bill, however.

After Sept. 21, flavored cigarettes, such as cloves, will no longer be available in the U.S. and, at some point next year, tobacco stores will no longer be allowed to sample cigarettes, he said.

Alma junior Matt Koutz, a smoker for six years, said harsher labels will not work and the only way to cut down on smoking is to ban it in public places.

“You can put a skull and bones on a pack and it won’t do much good,” Koutz said. “It’s going to be about the same.”

Minelli said 22 percent of women and 26 percent of men currently smoke in America. He said the habit is attributed to nearly 400,000 deaths a year.

Gibson said no matter what efforts are taken, America will never have a smoke-free society.
“The nicotine feels better for some people, so you’ll never eliminate it,” he said. “For some, it’s a very rewarding thing.”