Vapeboss – A recent study examining the effectiveness of graphic warning labels (GWLs) on cigarette packs reported inconclusive findings. Titled, "The Effects of Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarette Packs on Cognition and Smoking Behavior of US Smokers After 3 Months," the study consisted of a randomized clinical trial on the effects of real-world cigarette experience over 3 months with GWL packaging.

Respondents were daily smokers from San Diego, California, aged 21 to 65, who were not ready to quit smoking. The research team found that GWLs reduced positive perceptions of cigarettes without clearly increasing health concerns. Additionally, the warnings appeared to increase awareness to quit smoking, without affecting cessation or consumption rates.

Placing graphic warning labels on US cigarette packs had no effect on smoking behavior; however, these findings suggest that they may enhance other tobacco control strategies to reduce smoking habits.

In December 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that tobacco companies would be required to display smoking hazard warnings in retail stores. The requirement resolved a long-standing civil racketeering lawsuit by the government against the largest cigarette companies in the US: Altria, Philip Morris USA, RJ Reynolds, and ITG Brands.

The regulation will take effect on July 1, 2023, and gives the relevant manufacturers three months to post the mandated "corrective statements." One of the statements is, "More people die each year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car accidents, and alcohol, combined"; and "Smoking is highly addictive. Nicotine is an addictive drug in tobacco."

FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) Director Brian King, in a press statement about the DOJ's action, said this regulation highlights the government's commitment to public health, and is an opportunity to raise awareness about tobacco harm reduction.

"It's important to recognize that the court's decision, and the industry behavior it addresses, predates the advent of e-cigarettes in the United States, and the mandated corrective statements importantly highlight the priority of reducing combustible tobacco use over time," said University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network Director Cliff Douglas.

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