[Intl-tobacco] Europe: Impotence warning on cigarettes (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

Impotence warning on cigarettes
Source: Electronic Telegraph, Thursday, 4/20/00

CIGARETTE packets are to include explicit warnings that tobacco can affect
men's sexual performance following a European Union decision to put strict
new health messages on packaging.

 The EU is drawing up plans to include graphic impotence warnings. They
will say "smoking causes impotence" or "smoking causes impotence; smoking
may cause sexual impotence due to decreased blood flow to the penis. This
can prevent you from having an erection."

 MEPs are currently working with the Council of Ministers to finalise the
wording. They have proposed that the messages include a graphic image of a
long drooping cigarette ash, modelled on an official health message
shortly to be introduced in Canada.

Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat MEP for North West Englan, said: "It is
important that people, particularly young people, understand the reasons
cigarettes can cause impotence." The Government is understood to be in
favour of new warnings on cigarette packets, after research by the British
Medical Association found that most men were unaware of a link between
smoking and "male penile erectile dysfunction".

Yvette Cooper, public health minister, said: "Very few smokers are fully
aware of all the damage done by smoking. The fact that smoking can cause
impotence should be another reason to encourage smokers to give up." The
new health warnings will be included in an EU directive on the
manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products that the Government
will implement.

 The list of new warnings were drawn up at a confidential meeting of the
powerful Council of Ministers' Working party on Health. They proposed the
messages that "smoking causes ageing of the skin" and that "smoking is
addictive" in addition to current warnings. Clive Bates, director of
Action on Smoking and Health, said: "If people are going to decide about
smoking they need to know the full range of risks, even if they are
embarrassing."