http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_fda_tobacco;_ylt=AkXlSZbomG6xJwYiaD7EY0es0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNhOW9oa2FzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMTEwL3VzX2ZkYV90b2JhY2NvBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMwRwb3MDMTAEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3RvYmFjY28-Feds propose graphic cigarette warning labels
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM, AP Tobacco Writer – 1 hr 6 mins ago
RICHMOND, Va. – Corpses, cancer patients and diseased lungs are among the images the federal government plans for larger, graphic warning labels that would take up half of each pack of cigarettes sold in the United States.
Whether smokers addicted to nicotine will see them as a reason to quit remains a question.
The images are part of a new campaign announced by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday to reduce tobacco use, which is responsible for about 443,000 deaths per year.
"Some very explicit, almost gruesome pictures may be necessary," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This is a very, very serious public health issue, with very, very serious medical consequences," such as cancer, heart disease, strokes and lung diseases.