Scare Tactics Against Smoking

CEBU, Philippines- On August 8 this year President Benigno Aquino III signed the law that requires tobacco companies to put terrifying pictures on the effects of tobacco on cigarette packs. In a country where tens of thousands of people die every year from tobacco-linked diseases, anti-smoking advocates hailed the move, which they believed ought to have already been passed years ago.

The new law aims to stir health consciousness among the public through graphic health warnings (GHW) on tobacco products. It puts the Philippines in the league of more than 40 other nations that have the same rules and brought the battle against smoking to the cover of cigarette packs.

Cigarette packs are a vital part of the tobacco industry's advertising strategy, since they are literally the "face" of the product they carry. Unlike many products, cigarette packs are viewed very frequently, each time a smoker lights up a stick. Thus, cigarette manufacturers resort to good package design to reinforce brand appeal, to minimize perceptions of risk, and to elate the smoker's self-image. Conversely, tobacco control efforts have thought of using of the same GHW tactic on tobacco packs.

Warning the public of the hazards of tobacco use is part of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), the first global treaty committed to public health that centers on supply and demand, and harm reduction strategies to improve the health of the population by eliminating or reducing smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. The Philippines has adopted the FCTC in Sept 2005, including of course the provision on the packing and labeling. It covers three key areas namely, government-mandated health warnings, labeling of tobacco contents and emissions and the deletion of misleading information from the package.

In fact, the Philippines should have already implemented GHWs on cigarette packs by 2008. However, the GHW bill filed in the Philippine Congress that year was strongly opposed by pro-tobacco congressmen. In 2010, sans the law, the Department of Health issued an administrative order requiring graphic health information and prohibiting misleading descriptions such as "light," "mild" or "ultra" on cigarette packs. The DOH issued the order by authority of its mandate under the Consumer Act, the Administrative Code, and Article 11 of the WHO FCTC and its implementing guidelines. As expected, tobacco companies opposed the AO and filed lawsuits to stop its implementation.

A picture paints a thousand words and GHWs hit fast and hard. The wide reach of these health warnings on tobacco packs is beyond doubt. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Legacy, a public health foundation in the US, provides proof that hard-hitting pictorial cigarette warning depicting health effects of smoking emphasizes the dangers of smoking. The research examined the reactions to cigarette warning labels from among 3,300 smokers and found that GHWs are more successful than text-only warnings, more impactful and have better effect on their intentions to quit.

A Social Weather Station (SWS) survey in December 2012 reflects a strong public support for the passage of the GHW law in the Philippines. The survey said that eight out of ten (80%) Filipinos want Congress to pass a GHW law and 77% of Filipinos agree that this move will help them reduce or stop smoking.

According to anti-tobacco advocates, the recent signing of the now Republic Act 10643, or An Act to Effectively Instill Health Consciousness through Graphic Health Warnings on Tobacco Products, is a step in the right direction for our country, especially for the youth who are mainly to benefit from it. It is a law that took seven years - and three congresses - to get enacted; it has not been a walk in the park, so to speak.

The DOH has noted studies that show many smokers have no knowledge about the ill effects of smoking that cause diseases and premature deaths. The others know only that "Smoking is dangerous to your health," but are scarcely alarmed. Thus, there is an urgent need to have specific, strongly worded and larger-label information on tobacco packs to prompt smokers to quit and discourage non-smokers from ever starting to smoke. The Philippines, being a signatory to the FCTC, is obliged to implement laws geared to protect the overall health of the populace.

The next round of the challenge is implementation. The new law is about addressing a public health concern. GHWs will tell women, children and everyone about the real effects of smoking, so they can accordingly make an informed choice about it. Graphic images on cigarette packs are a strong message - for smokers to quit and for others not to start the habit.