Written warnings are used on cigarette packages in China, instead of images. WHO/WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY

Reducing consumption

Wu Ming, a professor of public health at Peking University's Health Science Center, said putting images on tobacco packs that depict the downside of smoking, such as cancer-ridden lungs and yellowed teeth, can greatly reduce tobacco consumption and is a highly effective measure to help prevent young people from picking up the habit.

"However, at present cigarette packs only carry a few small characters that read 'smoking is harmful to health'," she said.

Graphic warnings have been adopted in more than 80 countries and regions, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and in many countries images cover more than half of the surface area of the packs, she said.

WHO's Schwartlander said it is crucial to make the warnings more hard-hitting: "The current warnings on packs in China are woefully inadequate: they are ineffective at informing smokers about the harm caused by smoking and do little to warn young people off taking up the habit."

According to Wu Yiqun from ThinkTank, compared with plain packaging, which prevents tobacco companies from promoting smoking through the designs on packaging, graphic illustrations of the damage caused by smoking have a greater effect on smokers, regardless of origin or culture, and is effective with less-educated or illiterate people.

In addition, the photos also reduce sales of tobacco products bought as gifts, which is one of the major reasons for their overwhelming prevalence in China, she said.

"Printing graphic health warnings is the most economic and effective way of generating publicity for tobacco-control measures," she added.

However, she conceded that it's highly unlikely that legislation to enforce plain packaging or the inclusion of warning graphics will be implemented in the near future. The biggest obstacle has been resistance from the nation's powerful tobacco industry, which contributes more than 6 percent of China's annual tax revenue.

"The government may think a decline in tobacco sales will affect economic development," she said. "But we cannot rely on money that is generated at the cost of people's health. We hope the government will continue to promote tobacco control for the public good."

Standardized packs save lives

・ Plain packaging refers to "measures to restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colors, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard color and font style".

・ In December 2012, Australia became the first country to fully implement plain packaging. On May 20, France and the United Kingdom both began implementation of plain packaging. On Tuesday, New Zealand and Norway became the latest countries to announce they will remove branding from cigarette packs.

・ By the end of last year, graphic warnings on packaging had been adopted in 85 countries and regions.

・ Studies undertaken after the implementation of pictorial package warnings in Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Thailand consistently show that they significantly increase people's awareness of the damage caused by tobacco use.

SOURCE: THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION