Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Cigarette label warnings turn horrific

The federal government is set to paste horrifying new warning labels on all cigarette packages in Canada.

QMI Agency has learned the labels will include photos of a skeletal woman dying in a hospital bed, a swollen tongue blackened with tumours and an image of a child wearing an oxygen mask.

Tobacco companies have until March next year to comply. Retailers will have until June 2012 to make sure their shelves are stocked with only the new packages.

Packs of smokes already have graphic warnings, including rotting teeth, lung tumours and limp cigarettes saying smoking kills erections. They take up about a third of the packaging.

All boxes currently list the toxic chemicals included, and are banned from using the terms "light" or "mild."

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in July that the federal government cannot be sued for health damages caused by smoking -- tobacco companies insisted Ottawa be included as a third party.

Most provinces and territories are currently suing tobacco companies to try to recoup health care costs.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration insists on warning labels that include a photo of a corpse with post-autopsy chest staples. American tobacco companies are suing the government.

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