Tobacco: Graphic federal warnings aren't fair

Tobacco: Graphic federal warnings aren't fair

www.chron.com

Tobacco companies want a judge to put a stop to new graphic cigarette labels that include the sewn-up corpse of a smoker and pictures of diseased lungs, saying they unfairly urge adults to shun their legal products and will cost millions to produce.

Four of the five largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal government Tuesday, saying the warnings violate their free speech rights.

"Never before in the United States have producers of a lawful product been required to use their own pa

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I personally agree with Tobacco. No lawful product should have to have these warning labels, which are highly expensive (my father in law is a printer) and detrimental to sales.

My solution? Make all drugs illegal, or make drugs legal.

News flash - Tobacco Kills.

A bottle of poison has a warning label, which is fine, because people don't drink it every day. They don't buy it exclusively to drink it.

When a product that kills is on the shelves and people are ingesting it one, twenty or even more times a day, I think that these labels are tame.

Thoughts, ATS?

Disclaimer : Yes I smoked since I was a child. Yes I quit.

www.chron.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by sbctinfantry


It is unfair, almost everything out there can be seen unhealthy , for example fatty foods, do you see pictures of people dieing of diabetes? or obese people on them?

Same goes to everything, if they want to put these disgusting graphics on cigarettes, why not put them on everything else?

we should put fat people dying of a heart attack on every big mac wrapper.

Dont forget, everytime you buy a car you should put pictures of pollution and people dying in car crashes.


Every bottle of alcohol should have someone dying of alcohol poisoning and/or dying in a car crash.

Where do we draw the line?

reply to post by sbctinfantry


We have had these warnings in the UK for years. I dont understand why you are standing up for the tobacco manufactures. They are making a profit from an addictive killer product.

Its the MOST addcitive substance on the planet and the health risks far , far outweigh the benefits.

I dont think the ads stop hardened smokers but they might make children think twice about getting started.

There should be more ads like this one on TV.


Yes i smoke.

i was a long term smoker and quit cold turkey

those ads did not do much for me


i would use the money from those pictures and invest in better education at a younger age in schools about the dangers and health effects of it


cue them in when they are younger , give them a better understanding of the consequences so they can make more rational decisions when its there time to say yes or no to a butt

people by cases to block off those pictures or rip them off entirly wasting money .. i would rather waste it in one ear out the other then a silly picture

and for those who want to smoke knowing the consequences... then all the power to them


it is there choice but i don't blame them for so many smokers in such a stressful world we live


if i ever in the army you bet your ass im going to light up lol

A Big Mac feeds a person, no matter how inefficiently. A cigarette has what positive benefit?

A car gets a person to their job and the kids to school every day. A cigarette harms the children riding in the car with you.

To be honest, im not really that down with it either. I see this going one of two ways for me personally.

1. I wont care at all, and will do what I do every other day.
2. I will throw my pack of cigs at the person working the gas station desk and yell "Thats it, I quit."


But I'm trying to quit anyways so I suppose its not a big deal.

Personally, I think it's the greatest marketing ploy ever conceived! Think about it, during prohibition they banned alcohol and alcohol consumption decreased for a time but then later increased. (yes I know...Source1 Source2 or it didn't happen.) The tobacco companies are required to tell people that cigarettes aren't good for them? This is like Christians against Christ! Their motive is simple. If you tell someone they can't or shouldn't do something, people will, most often, prove to you that they can. Reverse psychology, isn't it grand!? Just my 2 cents...

The pictures on the packets don't make a blind bit of difference. All people will do is turn the packet the other way round...lol

I'm a smoker. I've tried to quit a few times but my willpower is weak. I changed from packets of Fags (I'm Scottish) to rolling tobacco. That has been a bit better. Not as many nasty chemicals in them. But they are still bad for u of course.

I think the best way for the tobacco industry is to help by removing the Nicotine from the tobacco, that way people who smoke and want to quit will find it easier and people that smoke because they enjoy it can continue to smoke if they wish.

But alas! I doubt they'd do that. They and the government need the tobacco industry for money. And they need people to get sick with cancer because your suffering and death makes them money too.

They don't care fullstop.

They've been on UK tobacco products for a few years now , you soon become desensitized to them .

Those poor tobacco companies. All they did was lie and cover up the addictive and detrimental effects of their products for decades and now they are being forced to be responsible for the poison they sell. Boo Hoo. ATS never ceases to amaze me. This is the only place where I can find so many people defending Billionaires, Oil companies, and big tobacco.

The people the keep comparing it to car exhaust and crappy food really need to tell me what positive things come from cigarette smoking that would put those even remotely on the same level.

Originally posted by Kitilani

The people the keep comparing it to car exhaust and crappy food really need to tell me what positive things come from cigarette smoking that would put those even remotely on the same level.

The calming few minutes it takes me to smoke a cigarette gives time for me to cool down to keep from killing all the people around that want to run my life for me. How's that one for a good example?

Or, gives them time to walk away before they get hurt, at the very least. Or lets them get away because I can't breathe straight enough to run after em

Seriously, though. People know the risks. It's not their life, especially for those smokers that are considerate enought o not do it around other people. And, quite frankly, I'd rather smell the smoke on someone than the stink and sweat of some morbidly obese person sucking down their 10th Big Mac and Diet Coke.

Oh, but that's unfair, right?

We have the same thing in the UK. I'm a smoker and I don't even notice them. They're just a waste of money.

It is also true that it is completely unfair. A text warning is more than enough in my opinion. Yes smoking kills, guess what its not the 50's we all know that. Either make them illegal or just leave us alone to smoke ourselves to death in peace.

Yes even though I smoke I appreciate they probably shouldn't be anywhere near as easily available as they are (perhaps not available at all). Though of course that would cost our respective governments to lose way too much tax revenue so it won't happen.

Fine take away the pictures, but force them to put all 4000+ chemicals on the label instead... if they fit.

Originally posted by demonseed
we should put fat people dying of a heart attack on every big mac wrapper.

Dont forget, everytime you buy a car you should put pictures of pollution and people dying in car crashes.


Every bottle of alcohol should have someone dying of alcohol poisoning and/or dying in a car crash.

Where do we draw the line?

I was thinking it would be nice to have warning labels on Army recruiting posters, and disclaimers in their commercials.

Originally posted by againuntodust
Fine take away the pictures, but force them to put all 4000+ chemicals on the label instead... if they fit.

Why? Who in modern society doesn't know the dangers of smoking? Who does it help?

To me it all looks like the government trying to cover its arse when they know what they should be doing is banning smoking full stop.

Originally posted by Jomina
The calming few minutes it takes me to smoke a cigarette gives time for me to cool down to keep from killing all the people around that want to run my life for me. How's that one for a good example?

Piss poor. If you need some chemical to keep you from killing people then you probably should be removed from society.

Or, gives them time to walk away before they get hurt, at the very least. Or lets them get away because I can't breathe straight enough to run after em

Nope, not really helping.

Seriously, though. People know the risks. It's not their life, especially for those smokers that are considerate enought o not do it around other people. And, quite frankly, I'd rather smell the smoke on someone than the stink and sweat of some morbidly obese person sucking down their 10th Big Mac and Diet Coke.

Oh, but that's unfair, right?

What the hell are you doing in McDonalds that you can smell the other people? I never said anything about people smelling like smoke anyway. Not sure why that came up but I also never sniffed any sweaty people at any restaurants.

If you want to smell smoke, go smell smoke. Did I say you should not be allowed to? If you do not want to smell sweaty people at McDonalds, do not go into McDonalds.

I was serious about what positive benefits come from smoking and never said anything about the smell. I guess I am still waiting for an answer to that.

More importantly, these are people that spent years and millions hiding the very risks you claim everyone knows about. Yet you defend them.

reply to post by sbctinfantry


I believe it is graphic abuse in order to bring down the mentality of those who smoke, into a depression.
I believe this is because smokers see these images and STILL cannot quit. TPTB love making you feel real sh-it about doing it, in turn fuelling depression, in turn maintaining demand...but will happily keep supplying them and find ways to increase taxes on them incrementally so as to take more of your life away from you.

In order to escape the system, you need to stop feeding it.

p.s. I don't smoke. My brain and body were nice enough to me to make me feel horrid and sick the first time and everytime I've attempted since. Pity it didn't react the same way towards speed, ice, '___', Mary Jane and Mushrooms (well once on these). I put it down to all the horrid chemicals in cigs because I've been blessed by a state that has some substance manufacturers that actually don't want to kill their customers.

Originally posted by maskfan
Why? Who in modern society doesn't know the dangers of smoking? Who does it help?

Children.
The average age to start smoking is 13 and 90% of all smokers start before they turn 18.