Will Seeing a Picture of Death Make You Stop? ~ Mom Blog ~



I am going to just come right out and say that I don't smoke and don't ever plan to.  I have never understood why people choose to take the first puff, yet I do understand that once people start, it's not easy to quit. The majority of smokers I know have voiced that they wish they could quit. Let's face it....It's the only government approved drug that when used as directed is a health hazard and has no health benefits. Plus, there is not really any other approved drug that harms innocent by standards. And of course, that is the exact reason that cigarettes are in the news lately.

If you haven't heard, the FDA is going to start mandating all cigarette companies designate the top half of their cigarette packs to displaying graphic images of the risks associated with smoking.  There will be nine new warnings that can be selected for the boxes. They range from "Cigarettes can cause cancer" to "Cigarettes can kill you." You can visit the FDA's website in order to view the proposed images, but I will tell you they show images such as cancer patients, cancer of the mouth, etc.   They FDA is actually looking to the public for comments regarding the photos, so check out their website if you are interested in giving feedback. 

Of course, after taking a look at these proposed packages, I couldn't help but wonder if it will really make a difference.  I would think that a near 100% of smokers already know the risks associated with smoking. You would have to live in a cave to not know the Surgeon General's warning. I don't smoke, so I am not really sure how a smoker would react to having this on the package. If you are a smoker, would it make a difference?  Would it make you think twice about the puff you are about to take? I'm actually pretty curious about this. My dad is a smoker (hate it, but he is), so I will probably pose the same question to him.

It has also dawned on me that many smokers probably wouldn't want to look at the images regardless of whether they want to quit or not. After all, they aren't very appealing...sort of morbid.  I predict that most smokers will continue to smoke, but they will now use a cool and trendy cover to block the sight of the graphic warning image.  Check out these covers.... pretty cute if you are a smoker.  I predict massive sales increases in the sale of cigarette covers over the next couple of years.

If you are a smoker, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic? If you are like me, a non-smoker, what do you make of all this?


If you are a woman and interested in quitting smoking, you might find some help at this website

Men, here is one for you


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