Warnings on individual cigarettes could lower smoking rates

PanARMENIAN.Net - A new study from the University of Stirling’s Institute of Social Marketing has found that simply adding the warning “Smoking kills” on each cigarette rather than just on the outer package has the potential to reduce the number of people who smoke significantly. The study was published in the journal Addiction Research & Theory on August 29, 2019.

Smokers were asked to describe how they felt about the individual warning on each cigarette, and overall there was a strong agreement that it could well deter young people who don’t smoke or are just beginning to smoke.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control states the principle of informing consumers about tobacco-related risks. This has mostly been achieved using statutory warnings on cigarette packages, News Medical reports.

These warnings have become bigger and bolder over the years, and are often required to cover at least half of the display package area. However, individual cigarettes can be used to warn smokers of the dangers.

This approach is part of the Scottish government’s anti-tobacco campaign called “Raising Scotland’s Tobacco-free Generation”, which began in June 2018. Other action points include changing the color and composition of cigarettes.

The government of Canada has also published the results of their discussions on the proposal to label tobacco products, including individual cigarette-based warnings, in the first part of this month.

However, tobacco companies opposed the move, partly because there is no evidence that these warnings influence smokers to start, maintain or stop the smoking habit.