Ken Wassum, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support

Today the FDA announced nine new graphic pictorial labels with text warning of the dangers of smoking will appear on all cigarettes sold in the US. This will go into effect in September 2012. In addition to the new graphic warnings, the 1-800-QUIT-NOW phone number will be present on every pack. This number provides access to assistance with quitting smoking via the network of tobacco quitlines throughout the United States.

This announcement is being hailed as a major step forward by health professionals who work in tobacco control and tobacco dependence treatment. The U.S. has lagged far behind most other developed nations, who have had these warnings in place for a number of years. For example, Canada implemented graphic warnings 10 years ago, the UK 8 years ago, and Australia 5 years ago. Currently, the U.S. has only had text warnings on the side panel.

You might ask why this is a big deal. First, there is good scientific evidence these warnings effect people’s smoking habits. A pack-a-day smoker will potentially see these rotating pictorial labels and warnings more than 7,000 times a year. These warnings make smokers think about the health dangers of smoking and to think about quitting. Pictorial warnings have been shown to have more of an emotional impact than text alone. Most smokers have “heard” for years that smoking is dangerous to their health and many have become somewhat immune to that message. Pictorial warnings give smokers a visual image of what can and does happen to smokers every day.

This also puts the U.S. in compliance with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC Article 11), which states pictorial graphic warnings should appear at the top on both the front and back of cigarette packages; should cover at least 50 percent of the package front and back; should include a full range of warnings and messages; and, perhaps most importantly, provide information about how to get help with quitting smoking. As a signer to the treaty back in 2003, the U.S. was obligated to take some action on warning labels.

As U.S. smokers are paying more and more for each pack of cigarettes due to higher taxes and price increases by cigarette manufacturers, many are having to choose between meeting basic food and shelter needs and smoking. This is unconscionable. While some people are able to quit on their own, many cannot. Inclusion of the 1-800-QUIT-NOW phone number is a major step forward in providing smokers with barrier-free access to assistance with quitting smoking. To meet this increased demand for services, U.S. quitlines will need some additional funding. Let’s hope the U.S. government is willing to use a significant portion of the taxes on cigarettes to help the American public achieve their goal of becoming tobacco free!