Iran - graphic warnings cigarette packs..

February 21, 2009 - Iran’s battle against tobacco consumption took a step forward in February 2009 the country received its first series of cigarette packages with health warning pictures. The warnings come at an important time as World Health Organization statistics show that smoking rates are rising in Iran, despite the country’s efforts to reduce tobacco consumption since the 1990s.

The pictures cover roughly half of the packaging and show graphic images of the diseases caused by smoking tobacco. Research manager for the Iranian Anti Tobacco Association Dr Ali Abdolahinia said that pictorial warnings on cigarette packages were one of the most effective ways to convey information about the health impacts of smoking. “According to a preliminary study performed to assess the initial reactions of Iranian smokers to pictorial health warning labels, more than half of smokers stated a probable decrease or giving up their smoking,” he said.

During the next few months, similar warnings will cover all locally and imported cigarette products in Iran.

According to an ISNA report published in the 25 March 2007 edition of the online Persian newspaper baztab, Iran is the world's third largest consumer of American cigarettes, after Japan and Saudi Arabia. The report said the World Health Organization has announced that cigarettes are the most important item authorized for export by American companies to Iran, and that at least half of the $100 million in goods exported by American companies to Iran in the year 2005 was cigarettes. (Iran Third Largest Consumer of American Cigarettes, Freedom's Zone, 3/25/2007)

More - Campaign for Effective Health Warnings on Cigarette Packs..

Countries which have picture based cigarette health warnings from
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Reference: Iran receives first graphic warnings on cigarette packages, Framework Convention Alliance, 2/20/2009; Iran: here come the graphic health warnings, Tobacco Control in Africa, 2/10/2009.