This  report  provides  a  summary  regarding  cigarette  package  health  warning  requirements  by  country,  including  both  Parties  and  non-Parties  to  the  WHO  Framework  Convention  on  Tobacco  Control  (FCTC).  In  particular,  this  report  provides  an  international  overview  ranking  140  countries  based  on  the  size  of  warnings  for  cigarette  packages,  and  listing  those  countries  that  have  finalized  requirements  for  picture-based  warnings.

Under  Article  11  of  the  FCTC,  Parties  to  the  Convention  agree  to  require  all  packages  of  tobacco  products  to  carry  health  warnings  describing  the  harmful  effects  of  tobacco  use  or  other  appropriate messages  which  “should  be  50%  or  more  of  the  principal  display  areas  

Research  shows  that  pictorial  warning  labels  increase  knowledge  about  risks  associated  with  smoking  and  can  persuade  smokers  to  quit.  Many  countries  and  jurisdictions  have  implemented  policies  which  require  pictorial  warning  labels  on  cigarette  packages,  based  on  recommendations  outlined  in  the  World  Health  Organization  (WHO)  Framework  Convention  on  Tobacco  Control  (FCTC).

 

Tobacco  companies  oppose  pictorial  warnings  because  they  see  them  as  a  threat  to  their  business.  Below  are  a  series  of  claims  against  pictorial  warning  labels  tobacco  companies  use  around  the  world,  followed  by  counter-arguments  that  refute  each  claim.  Studies  show  that  a  large  proportion  of  smokers  have  an  inadequate  knowledge  of  the  health  effects  associated  with  smoking  and  underestimate  the  severity  and  magnitude  of  those  risks.

 

As  more  countries  introduce  stronger  labels  and  evaluate  their  effectiveness,  growing  evidence  shows  that  larger,  bold  and  pictorial  labels  have  an  impact  on  awareness  of  the  risks  of  tobacco  use.  Effective  warning  labels  increase  knowledge  about  risks  associated  with  smoking  and  can  persuade  smokers  to  quit.  Smokers  report  that  they  receive  more  information  about  the  risks  of  smoking  from  the  tobacco  product  package  than  from  any  other  source  except  television.

 

 

Tobacco  companies  depend  on  package  design  to  build  brand  recognition  and  promote  sales,  especially  because  advertising  for  tobacco  is  becoming  increasingly  limited  in  many  markets.

Control  over  cigarette  packaging  is  critical  to  tobacco  control  efforts.  Cigarette  packs  are  effective  mediums  for  broadcasting  messages  about  the  harmful  impact  of  tobacco  use.  Research  shows  that  effective  warning  labels  increase  knowledge  about  risks  associated  with  smoking  and  can  influence  future  decisions  about  smoking.  Large  and  graphic  warning  labels  can  motivate  smokers  to  quit,  discourage  nonsmokers  from  starting,  and  keep  ex-smokers  from  starting  again.

 

 

With  the  new  amendments  to  the  tobacco  law  and  the  8  graphic  warning  images  were  presented  to  the  media  during  a  press  conference  at  the  Ministry  of  Health  on  the  12th  of  February  2009, Mauritius  became  the  first  country  in  Africa  to  implement  article  11,  with  a  world  record  of  65%  of  the  surface  of  the  pack!

These  graphic  warnings  figure  on  the  cigarette  packs  sold  in  Mauritius  as  from  the  1st  of  June  2009. This  is  the  result  of  the  earnest  collaboration  and  hard  work  of  ViSa  and  the  Ministry  of  Health,  and  also  the  excellent  help  and  support  of  the  FCA