[Intl-tobacco] Thai Graphic Warnings

[Robert Weissman]

      March 25, 2005



      Thai cigarette packs begin to include gruesome images of
      smoking-related illnesses

(AP) - BANGKOK, Thailand-Thailand on Friday began requiring all
cigarette packs sold locally to include gory images - including rotted
teeth, skulls floating amid cigarette smoke and a lung patient on a
respirator - meant to highlight the dangerous effects of smoking.

The Health Ministry announced that a long-planned order that is part of
its anti-smoking efforts was finally being enforced, requiring imported
and domestically produced cigarettes to carry one of the six graphic
images, along with a warning on the dangers of smoking.


In one case, the message "Smoking causes emphysema" is written over a
photo of a patient lying in a hospital bed and breathing through a tube
attached to his throat. "Smoking causes death" is written on a picture
of a smoker with skulls in the background.

The pictures cover half the front of each pack.

Thailand has a strong anti-smoking lobby and has since the 1970s been
one of the few Asian nations to make a serious effort to highlight the
dangers of tobacco. Most public places in Thailand are smoke-free.

"This policy will certainly reduce the sale of cigarettes," said an
official of the state Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, who spoke on condition
of anonymity.

Chris Kittikasemsant, a 35-year-old magazine editor from Bangkok and
smoker for more than 10 years, said the images will not change his habits.

"If I buy a pack of cigarettes and see those sorts of pictures, I'm just
going to throw it away - I'm just going to take out the cigarettes and
put them in a nice case," he said. "No one wants to see those ugly
pictures."

Kittikasemsant said he doesn't think the images will stop people from
smoking, but they might stem the number of new smokers.

"Maybe it may cut down on teenagers who want to start smoking. Maybe
they'll have second thoughts, that they don't want to have lung cancer,"
he said.

Retailers who sell cigarettes without the images will face a maximum
fine of 20,000 baht (US$500; ?400), while producers will be fined
100,000 baht (US$2,600; ?2,000).

Thailand is the fourth country, after Brazil, Canada and Singapore, to
required such graphic images and warnings on cigarette packs.