So Britain's government has decided to put pictures of tar filled lungs and such on cigarette packets. I can take the warning on packets & the smoking ban & the TV adverts because it's whats necessary but I think this is to far. I am a smoker and I agreed with the smoking ban I know what smoking does to my health but it's my choice and I enjoy smoking and don't plan to be smoking later in life (I'm 17). I think these pictures on the other hand are to far. If they were shown in schools that would be fine but every time I buy a packet of smokes I don't want to look at a mangled lung. It's not going to stop me smoking and I think at best it might stop people starting but if the pictures were shown at schools then there really is no purpose. Packets are left on streets and small children really don't need to be seeing someones lungs pulled out of their body. I think it just seems like an invasion of freedom I agree it has shock factor but some people want to smoke and the smoking ban would stop people smoking before these pictures. I also think why stop there? Why aren't their warnings about addictions on vodka bottles or pictures of dead alcoholics on your pint? It just seems like a big double standard. The only thing written on alcohol in tiny print is "Please Drink Responsibly". Let me know your opinions I know a lot of you won't agree with me but ah well xD
haha i just read about this on yahoo. thats pretty cool imo its probably kinda gross, but still it'll save lives, and will definitely work
I think this is stupid. I used to be a smoker, and putting some nasty gore on the packaging would accomplish nothing but making me hate the anti-smoking movement. I doubt you'll find any smoker who doesn't know the risks of smoking already, there's no need to rub it in people's faces.
I guess through extensive campaigning that smokers are already aware of the effects of smoking. The Government probably aren't trying to rub it in people's faces by putting pictures on the packets, but they're trying to bring some reality into what happens when you smoke. It sounds like it isn't working. As for alcohol warnings, with wine and such, taking a little bit each day has some health benefits. I don't think there are any health benefits with smoking. But people who drink are probably also aware of the consequences of not drinking in moderation. And people like to drink to get drunk. I do suppose they should put a sign saying "Chronic drinking causes irreversible brain damage" And could somebody tell me what the smoking ban is? All I read in the newspaper was Keith Richards eating one in protest at a concert. Also, what's the age limit for buying cigarettes? In Australia, you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes, although younger people can smoke it. As for the packets being left on the street, children aren't allowed to buy cigarettes, so aren't usually exposed to those pictures. If the smokers weren't littering in the first place, there wouldn't have to be that problem. [Edit: There are some health benefits with smoking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_sm ... of_smoking but i'm not condoning smoking. And the benefits do not outweigh the detriments]
But the truth is that people aren't perfect- they do litter, and you can't blame it on them and ignore the problems it creates. Anyways, I actually think it's a good idea- smoking is vile, and if you don't want to look at it, then don't smoke. Simple as that.
In Australia, such ad campaigning have been proven effective. In total, the number of smokers have been reduced by one quarter. But this isn't only because of the pictures on the cigarette packets, they also have commercials showing the consequences of smoking. The problems it creates? Children are getting enough exposure to unwholesome things even without the cigarette packets. Prime time television is getting more violent, with such shows as C.S.I. (Las Vegas, New York AND Miami), House, ER, Law and Order SVU, NCIS, Criminal Minds, 24, Crossing Jordan, Medium, Bones, and Prison Break. Many of these programs actually show autopsies, which have a lot more disgusting things then lungs coated in tar. Shows such as these have more effects on children then pictures on discarded packets, and many children watch these, with at least a million with their parents approval, according to the Parents Television Council. It will be more likely that children will see one of these programs then see a cigarette packet with a deterring picture on it. So if you want to talk about the problems discarded packets cause, I suggest you look at media programming first. It isn't as simple as that. It's not like you can say to a person with anorexia to start eating, or a person with insomnia to start sleeping, and it will all be better. Quitting smoking can be a big hurdle. People who know it is killing them, even after having health problems associated with it still cannot quit. It can be an addiction. Nicotine is found in cigarettes, and is an addictive stimulant, and can cause physical or psychological dependence. Withdrawal symptoms can include things as weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, and decreased heart rate in people. A lot less people would be smokers if quitting was as "simple as that", and we wouldn't even have to go so far as to put those pictures on the packet in the first place.
You got me there with the nicotine thing- quitting's not easy. But if you have the motivation and determination, you can do it. There's nicotine patches, nicotine gum, hypnotism- there are options and ways to help you through it. The cigarette pack pictures are going to make at least some smokers stop and think, why am I doing this to myself? I have to quit.
The pictures have it's influences. Look at it BEFORE the lung pictures. They had cowboys, bad-ass camels, this, and that. And those are things that INFLUENCED people to START smoking. The damaged lung will only INFLUENCE people to STOP smoking. I can understand the outrage if the government just flat out took your cigarettes away, but they didn't. You still have a choice to smoke. They are just giving people who want to quit more reasons to. You can hear all the reasons but do you really SEE all the reasons?
Since the day I started smoking, I sat up a goal. To stop when I turned 29. We only have one body and I want to use it to the max, but I still don't want to die before it's my time. These pictures wouldn't stop me from smoking (seems like we're getting them too =/), I'd just take the ciggarettes and put them into some box, there are tons of those out there and they make you look all classy ^^ But what I think is bad, is that by using these pictures, you're adding more and different colours, which raises production cost. And as Tony Blair said, smoking is one of the poor man's pleasures. The problem with ciggarettes isn't smoking, it's people not quitting before their body can't repair most of the damage you've done. Besides, what's coming next? Pictures of fat kids getting an autopsy, on soft drinks? Pictures of veins all clogged up, on the crisps? This could be pushed way too far, and I already belive it is. On a side note, I wonder if they'll be putting pictures on cigar and snuff boxes too?
To every person who says the pictures wont affect them, everytime you light a cig you'll see dead lungs/tar alsorts of rubbish. Without realising you'll think what am i doing to my body? It will help/push a LOT of people to quit imho. As for me though, i cant see any harm in this. It can only be a benefit to the smokers/whole of UK
That's not true. As I said, many people will use their own boxes, but most will be disgusted by the picture but ignore it. Scaremongering doesn't work, many people will just be upset on the government or the whole anti-smoking movement.
Oh eew. o-0 I know that kinda stuff, Singapore's been using that for some time. Now, in fact, they started to put the pictures of smokers who get all sorts of cancer from smoking in bus stops and such, so stuff like that's getting more common around here. People were getting upset coz' of that, though. Since the smokers don't care, and pictures like that aren't exactly pretty...
Usually it's the peer pressure that gets to them.. And that 'cool' image. Flimsy little pictures like that probably won't affect them if they set their mind to it...
I've seen these pictures before I read "Smokers Die Younger" every time I smoke I see the adverts on TV and I've seen these pictures before. I'm addicted a picture of someones lungs is not going to stop me smoking. When I was talking about children I meant 6 and under. We have a lot of litter and I see an empty packet every day when I walk home when a 5 year old is walking to school does he/she really need to be seeing someones insides being pulled out? The pictures should be shown to high school kids IN school. I think the pictures might stop people starting but people starting are usually in high school so if they are shown in high schools the pictures purpose is just going to irritate smokers and make them hate anti smoking campaigns. The smoking ban as someone asked was enforced a few months ago in Britain which means you can't smoke inside a public place (with a roof) this includes bars/clubs, bus stops and even parks (not just children's parks) I was in favor of this but I think clubs and pubs was a step to far as pubs can't even choose to be a smoking pub they have to ban it. I never even thought about food but why the hell not why don't McDonald's burgers have pictures of obese people on them? And wine has some health benefits but Britain is infamous for binge drinking so slap a few warnings on that to. It's one big double standard.
In canada / quebec we got those kind of picture about for 1 years or 2 .. and the percentage that they sent us was like 10% of the people that were smoking stopped so its working a little bit
I just think if people were going to be forced to quit the smoking ban would have made them as that is bigger than pictures.
10% is quite a lot. for every 1 million people, 100,000 people quit smoking. seems to be working pretty well then
Indeed.. and just like with any major problems within a country, ther'es not just one solution that will work.. so we just need to find other solutions for the other 90%