New graphic warrnings on cigarette packages

This week the Food and Drug Administration released new graphic warning labels to be displayed on cigarette packages in an effort to discourage smokers from lighting up. The new labels, the first major redesign of cigarette packaging in 25 years, were made possible by a 2009 law which gave the government and the FDA authority to regulate tobacco. Other nations have used even more grisly images than the new FDA labels for years, and their impact on smoking rates in those nations has been somewhat difficult to assess. It will be interesting to see the impact of these labels on smoking rates in this country in 2012, when the labels will be required, and beyond.