Previous week, i was happily eating my egg tart in a chinese restaurant, then i spotted the colourful pictures on these cigarettes packs on the cashier’s shelves. I asked my husband, “Why does the cigarettes’s pack nowadays are so colourful ah, got pictures somemore?”. Then my husband said ” Ah, you don’t know ah?”. I said to him “know about what?”. He asked me to go nearer to have a view of that pictures.
I have shortsighted therefore i cannot see the pictures clearly. i went over to the counter to have a clearer view. OMG (Oh my god), those pictures are yuckie!, i am going to have nightmares tonight, i told myself. The uncle at the counter stared at me, then he explained to me that our government implement this warning pictures to warn smokers the result from smoking habits.
From March, all cigarette packs sold in Malaysia have to carry graphic pictures to warn people of the dangers of smoking.The packaging regulation is part of government’s latest campaign against smoking. These include pictures of dead foetus,as well as picture of someone affected by neck cancer.
As a non smoker, i think it’s great that our government take action to discourage smoking in this country, however, i think smokers can transfer their cigarettes to their own cigar box and throw this yuckie picture pack away. In some countries, even graphic warnings can’t make smokers quit.
In Malaysia only more than 50% of adult males smoke cigarettes. About 50 Malaysian children below the age of 18 take up smoking every day. And also kill 10,000 Malaysian every year. Our government had work very hard to make it harder for youngers to buy cigarettes.
How effective are these images?
It acts as a reminder to smokers on the consequences of smoking.In Singapore, 163 people were polled , while 112 were surveryed in Scotland. They were shown five Australian graphic health warning labels relating to smoking-related diseases and asked to grade the level of fear and disgust they felt.
Here, 39 per cent felt extremely fearful, while 26 per cent in Scotland felt that way.One quarter of the respondents in both countries said the labels would have no effect in preventing them from smoking or stopping smoking.
What if the warning pictorial is printed on the cigarettes stick!. I think it would be very effective! or selling one pack of cigar at RM1000. I don’t think anybody going to purchase it. ~sigh~
Do you know smoking can cause blindness?
In a cross cultural survey in Scotland and Singapore, only 1 in 3 respondents was aware that smoking can cause blindness.85% in both countries knew the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, mouth and throat cancer (oral cancer) and stroke but only about one-third of the respondents knew about smoking causes blindness.
According to Associate Professor Au EongKah Guan, head and senior consultant, department of ophthalmology and visual sciences of Alexandra Hospital and an investigator of the study:
“Cigarette smoking increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 3-fold to 4-fold and cataract by 2 to 3-fold. Age-related macular degeneration is a deterioration in the health of the most sensitive part of the retina known as macula. A cataract is clouding of the normally clear crystalline lens in the eye.”
Incidentally, Britain is considering to get cigarette manufacturers to pack the cigarette in plain black and white box so that they look less attractive to youngsters.
Note: I am not going to put pictures on this site as i don’t like the view of it.
You can view it here at this website