A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Graphic Warning Labels Aim to Prevent Youth

Smoking & Help Smokers Quit

 By: Shawntay Warren

Would you purchase a product wrapped in a label that showed a man with a hole in his throat? How about one that showed an infant struggling to breathe through a thick cloud of smoke? I hope not. And that is the hope of the federal government as it plans to use similar labels on cigarette cartons in compliance with The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. On November 10, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration released 36 images, nine of which will appear on future cigarette packs.

            Images like the ones pictured below will be placed on cigarette cartons across the U.S.

Since nearly 90 percent of today’s adult smokers took their first puff before the age of 18, this regulation is one of several important tactics to discourage youth smoking, including sales tax hikes and the ban on flavored tobacco products. In Washington, D.C. alone, 400 kids under the age of 18 become new smokers each year and 8,000 kids under the age of 18 today will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.

If you’re wondering how a product that is legally sold in the U.S. can possibly be lethal, take a look at this video that was produced a couple of years ago by the D.C. Tobacco Free Families campaign with former Washington Redskin, Darrell Green:

McKinney & Associates is launching the BeWellWomen campaign in February 2011, which encourages California’s African American women of childbearing age to put their health first. Our goal is to leverage this campaign beyond California and help reduce health disparities across the country, many of which are caused or made worse by tobacco use. Part of being well is to stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke, which can cause serious health complications, including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, heart disease, cancer and emphysema.  

Tobacco is the only legal consumer product in the United States that, when used as intended, will kill you. If you are a smoker, there are plenty of resources that can help you break the stronghold of nicotine addiction, including the toll-free Quitline, 800-QUIT-NOW. In 2009, former Denver Broncos player, Steve Fitzhugh, shot a video in Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia High School to encourage youth to stay tobacco free. As I leave you with this musical treat, I hope you will make living tobacco free part of your New Year’s resolution if you’re a smoker. If you’re not a smoker, support your loved ones who want to quit and do your part to keep children away from tobacco.

Question: How effective do you think graphic warning labels will be in preventing tobacco use?