Cigarette packs to feature graphic images

The Australian government is proposing that by mid-2005 every packet of cigarettes andtobacco sold there will feature graphic images of smoking related diseases over half the front and rear panels.

The proposals emulate those adopted in Canada, which introduced graphic warnings covering half each pack in January 2001, and Brazil, which introduced similar images in February 2002. Unveiling the proposed changes for public comment the parliamentary secretary for health, Trish Worth, pointed to the success of the changes in Canada, which have resulted in a 3% reduction in tobacco consumption.

Australians currently …