New tobacco health warning welcomed by professionals

MANDATORY changes to Australia’s tobacco products came into effect this month, a move welcomed by Quit and Cancer Council.

Australia is now the second country to introduce health warnings on individual cigarettes, along with the introduction of 10 new graphic warnings and 10 new health promotion inserts.

A cigarette with a health warning printed on it becomes harder for consumers to avoid with messages around risks and harms conveyed on the filter, which does not burn down.

As part of the new messaging, phrases including “causes 16 cancers”, “damages your lungs”, and “damages DNA” are included on cigarettes.

Cancer Council Victoria’s director of Centre for Behavioural Research professor Sarah Durkin said graphic warnings had been effective around increasing knowledge, but evidence showed the effectiveness of existing warnings was decreasing.

“We also have new scientific information that extends our knowledge of the health effects of tobacco use.

“The new Graphic Health Warnings feature some of these harms of smoking that people may not be aware of such as diabetes, erectile dysfunction, cervical cancer, DNA damage, and the impact of second-hand smoke on children’s lung capacity.”

While Australia has driven down its smoking prevalence, there are still 24,000 people dying each year from smoking-related illnesses.

Quit director Rachael Anderson said because of the addictive nature of smoking, the organisation was often told how hard it was to give up the habit.

“Our hope is that these new changes will provide new education to people who smoke about the harms at the same time as informing them of the supports to quit, acting as both a disincentive to smoke and a bridge to services.”

For more information and support in quitting, head to quit.org.au