by J. Jablonski
Australia’s government is suggesting putting grotesque images of gangrenous feet, rotting teeth, and throat cancer on cigarette packets in an effort to reduce smoking.
This new proposed law will propose a series of warnings on the dangers of smoking and also allow these graphic images to cover 50 to 60 percent of each cigarette pack.
I understand that this is a choice I have made and although I am aware of the dangers of smoking, it is still my choice. Even though this is happening in Australia, it’s only a matter of time before it filters its way here to the USA. It’s starting to happen already with bans on smoking in public places and increasing the taxes on cigarettes in an effort to get us to stop smoking because it costs too much.
This is a pretty extreme way of trying to get smokers to quit. University researchers are backing the plan saying that evidence suggested that pictorial warning labels on cigarette packets were more likely to reduce tobacco consumption than text-only warnings. However, long term smokers reject the idea and say that the new images will not effect them and they will continue to smoke.
If these new warnings and graphic images help in the reduction of teenagers who might pick up the habit, it may work. However, there should be other ways of getting the message across than resorting to shock tactics. This smoker sees it as an extreme measure that will only backfire on those people in government who feel they have the obligation to save us all from ourselves. If they are going to go this far, then it is only fair to do the same for alcohol, and all other things that are ‘deemed’ bad for us.
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