Graphic Cigarette Warnings work !

A US study found that smokers remember the health warning which have a graphic image on the cigaretter pack.  This compared with a 50% success rate when text-only warnings were viewed.

Using eye-tracking technology, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania measured how long smokers spent viewing each part of a cigarette advertisement containing warning labels.

After looking at the advertisement, each participant was asked to write down the warning to test how well they remembered the information.

The faster a smoker's eyes were drawn to the text in the graphic warning and the longer they viewed the image, the more likely they were to remember the information correctly, the study said.

Jaine Chisholm Caunt, the secretary-general of the TMA (Tobacco Manufacturers Association ), said: "We believe the government should quash the idea of plain packaging, which only serves to make counterfeiting cigarettes easier and make stock-taking and serving customers harder for legitimate retailers." Australia has agreed on plain packaging and ban on cigarette branding.