Tobacco companies use packaging and other advertising techniques to make tobacco use appealing, while distracting consumers from the harsh reality of how tobacco use destroys health.

Warnings on packaging are an inexpensive and powerful way to show the truth about tobacco consumption. Warnings that include images of the harm that tobacco causes are particularly effective at communicating risk and motivating behavioural changes, such as quitting or reducing tobacco consumption.

Picture warnings convey a clear and immediate message, even to people who cannot read. They reduce the overall attractiveness of tobacco packages – an important function for a product whose new users are typically young, and image and brand conscious.

Examples of pictorial health warnings from countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Djibouti
Egypt
Islamic Republic of Iran
Jordan