Health

Cigarette warning labels to get even bigger

Puangchompoo Prasert

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand will have world's largest warning labels on cigarette packs.

The size of the warnings, which are dominated by scary photos that show the unhealthy consequences of smoking, will be expanded to cover 85 per cent of the pack, up from the current 55 per cent, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said yesterday.

After a meeting with national tobacco control board, Pradit said the board agreed to issue a ministerial declaration to increase the size of the warnings.

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There will be 10 picture warnings showing in graphic detail the consequences of smoking, including laryngeal cancer, heart failure, stroke, oral cancer, sexual dysfunction, lung cancer, emphysema and chronic bad breath.

The declaration will come into effect 180 days after publication in the Royal Gazette.

Worldwide, 63 countries have picture warnings on cigarette packs. In Australia, the warnings cover 82.5 per cent of the pack.

Uruguay and Sri Lanka have 80 per cent, and Brunei and Canada 75 per cent. In Southeast Asia, only Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore have the picture warnings. Thailand became the fourth country in the world to do so, starting in 2005.

-- The Nation 2013-02-02

Ok how the heck do you take a picture of bad breath ???

And zero provable effect on consumption so far.

Thailand will have world's largest warning labels on cigarette packs.

What are they gonna say? Buying them at airport duty-free may cause extortion?

This is something that costs the Govt nothing but makes it look like they are doing something.

Where as improving health services costs.

These ministers have to make a show to try to justify their existance. (big income)

Come on guys, you need to stop hating on every single thing the government does, if anything this is a good step forward. Of course there is A LOT more that can be done (e.g. heavy tax on tobacco).

Whats does it do? well for me every time I picked up a packet, it made me think how F5557g stupid I was so I Stopped.

The nasty lung was perhaps the most convincing.

Come on guys, you need to stop hating on every single thing the government does, if anything this is a good step forward. Of course there is A LOT more that can be done (e.g. heavy tax on tobacco).

there is already a heavy tax on it, how about to ban the added chemicals that are proofed to be much more harmful than the tobacco alone?

No government want to do that.....

Good luck, they have shown warnings on the packs for some reason increases sales!

Good luck, they have shown warnings on the packs for some reason increases sales!

Maybe the warning labels has become collector items?

Anthoer HUB, now largest warnings on cig/packets, it is the worlds biggest HUB----Hogwash-Utter-Bulls#it

Sorry Australia has already beaten you to it. Australia now has plain packaging with the entire box taken up with graffic pics and warning. The tabacco companies took the government to court over this and lost. Unless Thailand intend to make bigger packs then sorry they have ran 2nd. The court proceeding were being watched by a lot of other countries who may now follow Australia's lead.

Come on guys, you need to stop hating on every single thing the government does, if anything this is a good step forward. Of course there is A LOT more that can be done (e.g. heavy tax on tobacco).

I don't think anyone hates the government (in this case) for their actions. What I hate is the hypocrisy of all governments that continue to allow a product that has been proven (apparently!) to cause death to its users to be sold across the counter only for the tax return it puts into the coffers of that country.

The decals they intend to use (covering 85% of the packet instead of the current 55%) won't, IMHO as a smoker myself, deter anyone more than it does at present. Personally, I use a cigarette case; I have used that for years to stop the soft packets getting crushed in my pockets, and not because of the pictures, so it really doesn't mean anything to me.....................

Thailand mulls world’s largest health warnings on cigarette packages

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Feb 2 – The Thai Public Health Ministry is proposing legislation to require more prominent health warnings on cigarette packages, likely the largest in the world, according to the minister.

Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong said the bill, if passed, will subject manufacturers to print pictorial health warnings which occupy 85 percent of space on cigarette packages.

He said the move was initiated following statistics of continued high smoking rate among Thai adults and youths.

The pictorial warnings, aimed at communicating the dangers of smoking, will be clear and straightforward, and displayed with texts such as refrain from smoking at home, smoke is fatal to children, smoking causes bronchial cancer, smoking causes heart failure, smoking causes apoplexy, smoking causes oral cancer, smoking causes impotence, smoking causes mouth odour, smoking causes lung cancer and smoking causes emphysema.

Pictorial and health warnings currently cover 55 pe cent of space on cigarette packages in Thailand.

Sixty-three countries have implemented health warnings on cigarette packages. Five countries with the largest health warnings are Australia (82.5 percent of space on cigarette packages), Uruguay and Sri Lanka (80 percent), Brunei and Canada (75 percent).

In Southeast Asia, Singapore enforces the largest warning on cigarette packages, followed by Thailand. Malaysia is another country in the region requiring the health warning. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-02

Come on guys, you need to stop hating on every single thing the government does, if anything this is a good step forward. Of course there is A LOT more that can be done (e.g. heavy tax on tobacco).

I don't think anyone hates the government (in this case) for their actions. What I hate is the hypocrisy of all governments that continue to allow a product that has been proven (apparently!) to cause death to its users to be sold across the counter only for the tax return it puts into the coffers of that country.

The decals they intend to use (covering 85% of the packet instead of the current 55%) won't, IMHO as a smoker myself, deter anyone more than it does at present. Personally, I use a cigarette case; I have used that for years to stop the soft packets getting crushed in my pockets, and not because of the pictures, so it really doesn't mean anything to me.....................

smoking does not CAUSE death. It causes cancer and other diseases.

It is well proven that natural tobacco is much less harmful than cigarettes. Partially because smoke much less of it. So the right thing would be to get the chemical crap out of the cigarettes. Than I would say, with the pictures on the packs everyone know what he does. So for grown up people it is their own decision if they want to smoke, drink, eat too much etc etc. Don't need the country messing around in my privacy.

(I am not smoking I stopped a few years ago).

And zero provable effect on consumption so far.

I think it is pretty difficult, after smoking declining year after year, that these labels have no provable effect on consumption.

Good luck, they have shown warnings on the packs for some reason increases sales!

Can you direct me to any study that has shown these warnings have increased sales as you state. That would be interesting.

Fortunately, at least for non smokers, things have changed. Nothing glamorous about cancer and ruined health.

This is a sensible idea which ultimately might persuade users to quit their addiction.

The nanny state of Australia recently implemented legislation to make all cigi packets an olive green colour- absolute waste of time

Come on guys, you need to stop hating on every single thing the government does, if anything this is a good step forward. Of course there is A LOT more that can be done (e.g. heavy tax on tobacco).

I don't think anyone hates the government (in this case) for their actions. What I hate is the hypocrisy of all governments that continue to allow a product that has been proven (apparently!) to cause death to its users to be sold across the counter only for the tax return it puts into the coffers of that country.

The decals they intend to use (covering 85% of the packet instead of the current 55%) won't, IMHO as a smoker myself, deter anyone more than it does at present. Personally, I use a cigarette case; I have used that for years to stop the soft packets getting crushed in my pockets, and not because of the pictures, so it really doesn't mean anything to me.....................

So your'e health doesn't mean anything to you? It's the most important thing in your'e life while you've still got it.

I'm waiting for the day when fast food outlets must have 85% of their exterior covered in pictures of fat people, rather than the current 85% of their interior full of fat people.

This is something that costs the Govt nothing but makes it look like they are doing something.

Where as improving health services costs.

These ministers have to make a show to try to justify their existance. (big income)

Maybe I don't understand economics but it seems to me that cutting back on Smoking would over the long term cut back on health costs with out costing a anything.

I am sensing a little bit of guilt here from some posters. Of course they don't look at it that way.

Why don't they put warning labels on alcohol? Because alcohol is also a killer that causes throat cancer, liver decease, kidney failure, pancreas failure, sexual dysfunction and many others. Most related incidents at the hospital are caused by alcohol.

They don't put on bottles, or cans. Do not drive whilst intoxicated.

I think this is a very good argument, but I know that a few posters will disagree

They won't put it on alcohol, because alcohol is the governments no 1 ATM machine.

Unfortunately, I went back to smoking when I came to Thailand. 66b a pack at every corner store and singles sold in between. I had been using skoal or snus to stay off but ran out and couldn't find it here before I had weened myself off the nicotine.

The idea of banning substances contained in cigarettes expressed in readers comments above really appeals to me. Certainly it would be a world first in the campaigns against smoking cigarettes. However such an approach would be very difficult to police. Perhaps better to enforce existing laws against smoking in enclosed spaces or even reinforcing that law to 'No Smoking in Public'.

they should print like not smoking increases your libido , not smokers get more girlfriends and sex

but hey if that aint true who cares the warnings are based on "made" research there is also lots of that that claims the opposide

not saying smoking is healthy absolutely not ,, neither are chemtrails , combustion engines , wild burning of canefield your garbage incl.plasics and so on , in comparison is healthier to smoke a pack a day than to drive a bycicle in bangkoktraffic

I'm waiting for the day when fast food outlets must have 85% of their exterior covered in pictures of fat people, rather than the current 85% of their interior full of fat people.

Or a bottle of liquor with a pickled liver on it, or a picture of a liver transplant.

Sorry Australia has already beaten you to it. Australia now has plain packaging with the entire box taken up with graffic pics and warning. The tabacco companies took the government to court over this and lost. Unless Thailand intend to make bigger packs then sorry they have ran 2nd. The court proceeding were being watched by a lot of other countries who may now follow Australia's lead.

" In Australia, the warnings cover 82.5 per cent of the pack." and no brand logos.

I'm waiting for the day when fast food outlets must have 85% of their exterior covered in pictures of fat people, rather than the current 85% of their interior full of fat people.

Or a bottle of liquor with a pickled liver on it, or a picture of a liver transplant.

And the fronts of massage parlours will be interesting as well.

Warn the public, then tax, regulate the product (purity, no sales to minors) and let the good times role.

Would also be a workable model for legalizing drugs