Thailand to Impose Graphic Smoking Warnings

BANGKOK - Thailand will join Canada, Brazil and Singapore in forcing cigarette makers to put colored graphic health warnings on cigarette packets in a bid to discourage smoking, Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said on Wednesday.

Sudarat said in a statement a ministerial order, to take effect a year from now, would require cigarette packets to carry color pictures and text depicting possible consequences of smoking, including lung cancer, premature aging, and bad breath.

The pictures are to take up half the space of each side of a cigarette packet, with text in both Thai and English.

"Colorful graphic warnings will communicate better than plain text ones," Sudarat said.

Tobacco importers or manufacturers who sell packets without graphic warnings will face fines of up to 100,000 baht ($2,500).

Anti-smoking activists have praised the Thai government for its efforts to fight smoking. Just 22 percent of the Thai population smokes now, a remarkable drop from nearly 40 percent 20 years ago.

"Our smoker-to-population ratio is quite low compared to other developing countries because of our various efforts to discourage smoking," said Hatai Chitanondh, head of the Thailand Health Promotion Institute.

"The current rate has been stable for around three years and we need other measures to bring it down," he said.

($1=38.93 Baht)

--Reuters 2004-01-21

Good on 'em.

But I doubt that it will make much difference......

Weve had SMOKING KILLS & SMOKING WILL SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOU HEALTH

emblazoned on Cigarette Packs in the Uk for years without effect.

There was even a Cigarette Marketed as 'DEATH' and people still bought them???

If you put Drinking Milk Kills on a carton. I bet nobody would buy it!

A women in my local green grocers with a cigarette in her mouth held up a pack of Carrots this morning, and asked if they we Organic!

Funny lot Smokers......