FDA Unveils Final Cigarette Warning Labels

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today unveiled the nine graphic health warnings required to appear on every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States and in every cigarette advertisement.

Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking.

The final set of cigarette health warnings contains nine different text warnings and accompanying color graphics to

• Increase awareness of the specific health risks associated with smoking, such as death, addiction, lung disease, cancer, stroke, and heart disease;
• Encourage smokers to quit; and
• Empower youth to say no to tobacco.

Each warning is accompanied by a smoking cessation phone number, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, which will allow it to be seen at the time it is most relevant to smokers, increasing the likelihood that smokers who want to quit will be successful.

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