On Our Mind: The U.K. attempt at smoking cessation

Cartoon by Taryn Trousdale

Beginning last Wednesday, the United Kingdom began requiring cigarette manufacturers to include a new type of warning on all cigarette packs. The warning contains a graphic photo depicting the effects of smoking and a written warning such as “Smoking causes fatal lung cancer.”

These warnings are nothing new; the U.K. is just the most recent in a long list of countries that now require the warnings. We would like to know when the United States is going to join the bandwagon.

The society we live in today is highly visual. People now need images to associate with concepts. We need to see the consequences of our actions. A simple written warning on the side or the bottom of a cigarette pack is highly unlikely to deter someone from lighting up.

Our country spends so much money on programs that convince people not to smoke or to assist smokers in the struggle to quit. If we are really concerned about getting people to quit, why haven’t we implemented this program ourselves?

It seems that the U.S. method of deterrence is to raise taxes on tobacco until smoking is no long affordable. This method doesn’t work. If a smoker wants to smoke, they will find a way to smoke. But if we can show them a picture of the likely consequences of smoking, we can help them make a decision on their own.

At a time when smoking costs the U.S. $157 billion in lost productivity and medical care, we cannot afford to keep using the same ineffective methods.

It’s time for our country to change with the times. Visual cues are much more effective than written statements. Let’s start using them as a weapon against tobacco use.