Monday 22 August 2011

Was It All Worth It?

The answer to the question posed above - in relation to graphic health warnings on tobacco - would appear to be an emphatic NO.

A new study from the National Centre for Social Research (London) and the Institute for Social Marketing, University of Stirling shows no effect of England's graphic warning labels on cigarette smoking.

The following were the major findings of the study regarding the effects of the graphic warning labels on smoking behavior:

1. There was no observed effect of the graphic warning labels on cigarette smoking prevalence.

2. There was no observed effect of the warning labels on cigarette consumption.

3. There was no observed effect of the warning labels on smoking reduction (measured as forgoing cigarettes due to the warning labels).

Thus, there was no observed effect of the new warning labels on any aspect of smoking behavior.
An abject failure of epic proportion, then.

So what is the current policy of anti-smoking NGOs throughout Europe?

Arguments were presented to increase the size of the pictorial warnings to 80% of the pack, to regularly rotate warning messages to maintain the ‘freshness’ of each statement, and to include information on the packaging about a 'quit line' to help stop smoking.
Make them bigger, spend money on producing more of them, and add something about a quitline. Yep, that'll be the game-changers right there ...

"The only significant change in behaviour was that more adult smokers reported using a technique to avoid seeing the messages."
... even if very few will actually notice.

Do we yet have some way of weaning these monumentally stupid dickheads off of their psychological addiction to failure?

Some gum, or a patch, or something?


13 comments:

Woodsy42 said...

But of course it's not designed to stop anyone, only to control attitudes and make everyone feel guilty and subservient.

Zaphod Camden said...

Two words. Cigarette cases.

If I smoked, I'd definitely have one, just to make me feel all Jason King or something (other washed-up 1970s TV heroes are available) Buy the packet, shove them in the case, toss the packet in the nearest bin. I doubt I'd even see the warnings.

Ditto when plain packaging comes in.

Anonymous said...

Zaphod

Dont't throw them in the bin, post them to ASH or some other fake charity, smokers could inundate them with millions of unwanted empty fag packets! After all the cost of a stamp is minimal compared with that of the over taxed tobaco.

timbone said...

It all started in 1975, after the original health warning didn't work, so they invented an epidemic, passive smoking. If I remember rightly, the original warning on the side of the cigarette packet (only cigarettes) was 'HM Government Health Warning: Cigarettes may damage your health' - notice they told the truth then, MAY damage your health.

I presume that the counterfiet pictures will get bigger and bigger - no wonder cigarette cases are so popular on Bargain Hunt.

Anonymous said...

We in the U.S. are about to get hit with these disgusting graphics. I already use a cigarette case, so my exposure will be minimal. The real sufferers will be the cashiers that have to look at and handle the packs all day. Gross.

—GA

Smoking Hot said...

Anyone remember the cigarette brand 'Death'? Packaged in black with a skull on them with warning signs such as ""Let Us Be The Nail In Your Coffin" and ""The Grim Reaper Don't Come Cheaper".

They were quite successful until competitors allegedly forced them out.

John Pickworth said...

Exhaustive studies conducted at the JP University for Loons clearly demonstrate that these piffling diddy warnings have no impact whatsoever until they are least 110% the size of the pack.

One solution being proposed is to force manufacturers to produce packs of 30 or 40 cigarettes to enable more prominent anti-smoking messages to be displayed upon them. It also hoped that by 2014 moves within the EU could see warning commercials displayed on free 47" LCD screens with the cigarettes sellotaped to the rear. However, to enable these critically important health messages to find the largest possible audiences, the Government is also considering setting a maximum packet price of 43 pence. Heaht spokesperson Mr Chuffalot says "Until every man, woman and child is smoking we will never achieve a 100% success rate for our message. Only the other day an 11 year old told me was totally unaware of the Government's stark anti-smoking warnings and frankly that is totally unacceptable!".

Trooper Thompson said...

What about a picture of Deborah Arnott stark naked ramming a dildo up Peter Kellner's arse?

That might work. Hey, one person (me) agrees it's worth a try. And that, folks, is scientific research for these clowns, so Peter, lube up.

Karl Fasbracke said...

It is not about health

The warning labels aren't meant to stop anybody from smoking. They are primarily advertisements for the anto-smoking industry.

Good measures for the anti-smoking industry are those which create a lot of attention without having any real effect, thus leaving room for further measures.

In this respect there is nothing to complain about.

Anonymous said...

Re; anon @ 23.06.

By all means post the empty cig packets to them, but forget to add the postage, that way they wate more of their budget!

George Speller said...

"a picture of Deborah Arnott stark naked ramming a dildo up Peter Kellner's arse"

That's really spoilt my day.

Dr Evil said...

If I still smoked anything, then out would come Grandad's silver cigarette case. This nonsense about packaging is just that and crush proof packs simply aren't!

Anonymous said...

Cigarette companies in American just filed a lawsuit against the US government for requiring graphic images on cig packs. It will be curious to see what shredding of the US Constitution gets done on behalf of the US government to dismiss the lawsuit. Every "win against big tobacco" is usually another loss of constitutional sovereign individual, private and business rights - with the ironic part being the majority within the society coming under stricter controls cheering on their own enslavement. It's the perfect coup - anti-tobacco.