Label Regs –Tom Polischuk

The required changes need to be in place by September 2012 and are quite significant. One of nine new graphic images and one of several new warnings, such as "Cigarettes cause cancer" or "Cigrarettes are addictive," need to cover the upper portion of the front and back of the pack, with at least 50 percent coverage. Although the package labeling will be a drastic shift for U.S. smokers, it is not at all new in other parts of the world. The U.S. is the 40th country to require graphic warnings on cigarette packs; Canada, for one, has had it in place since 2000.