WHO asks Russia to ensure scary pictures on cigarette packs
February 17th, 2011 - 12:53 am ICT by IANSMoscow, Feb 16 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested to Russia to put frightening images on cigarette packs, to illustrate the consequences of smoking on human health. WHO’s spokesman in Russia Luigi Migliorini said Wednesday during a news conference that the scary pictures on cigarette pack will shock people and make them quit the habit or not starting altogether.
Specialists say that the experience of other countries shows the effectiveness of such images.
But Dmitry Yanin, director of regional development for the International Confederation of Consumer Societies in Moscow, admitted that it would be difficult to make the smokers of 40 years or more to quit using the pictures.
“In Moscow, 35 percent of the students between the ages of 15 and 16 are regular smokers,” Yanin said.
A WHO survey in 2009 found that Russia has 43.9 million smokers, which makes up 40 percent of the population.
The Russian government has already started taking steps to crack down on the addiction that kills up to 500,000 people a year.
It has announced a plan to ban advertising and promotion of cigarettes from 2011 and to introduce a complete ban on smoking in enclosed spaces by 2015.
“Smoking kills” warning labels have already been introduced on cigarette packages in Russia.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
sd/vt/vt
- Scary pictures not to dissuade Russian smokers: Poll - May 13, 2012
- Like India, Russia to scare smokers with grim pictures - May 11, 2012
- Russia to ban smoking indoors - Apr 21, 2012
- Moscow to ban smoking in restaurants by 2014 - May 05, 2012
- Ukraine introduces ban on public smoking - May 25, 2012
- Cigarette packs in Russia to carry warnings from Saturday - Jun 25, 2010
- Russia to ban hookah smoking in public - Nov 10, 2011
- Russia partially lifts ban on vegetable imports - Jun 28, 2011
- Cigarette displays to be banned in England - Mar 10, 2011
- Wildfires kill 52 in Russia - Aug 06, 2010
- Moscow police to enforce ban on gay rights campaign - May 27, 2011
- Russia slaps curbs on meat imports from US, Brazil - Sep 08, 2010
- Petrescu confirmed as Dynamo coach - Aug 17, 2012
- Moscow shops selling cat fur coats? - Jan 16, 2012
- Turkish hackers attack Spartak site - Aug 23, 2012
Tags: advertising and promotion, cigarette pack, cigarette packages, cigarette packs, cigarettes, consequences of smoking, consumer societies, frightening images, human health, international confederation, luigi, news conference, regional development, ria novosti, russian government, scary pictures, smokers, taking steps, warning labels, world health organisation