Smoking Warnings Cigarette Health Quitting United Bad Surgeon

In the United States, packages for cigarettes, "chewing tobacco" (tobacco that is placed between one's teeth and cheek), and other "tobacco products" (things made with tobacco) must have health "warnings" (statements about something bad that will happen). In America, these warnings come from the "Surgeon General," the "head" (leader) of the nation's public health service.

The United States was one of the first countries to require that health warnings be printed on cigarette packages, but today its warnings are some of the smallest and least "prominent" (easily seen) in the world. The warnings also aren't as "dire" (very serious and bad) as those of many other countries.

Consider the most common warnings on U.S. cigarette packages. The first warning, in 1966, said "Caution: Cigarette Smoking May be 'Hazardous' (dangerous) to Your Health." Three years later, this was changed to "The Surgeon General Has 'Determined' (decided) that Cigarette Smoking is Dangerous to Your Health."

Today, one of the following Surgeon General's Warnings are found on tobacco products:

Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May "Complicate" (make something more difficult) Pregnancy.

Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.

Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.

Cigarette Smoke Contains "Carbon Monoxide" (CO, a dangerous gas).

The reason for putting these warnings on tobacco products is so that people will read them before buying the products. Hopefully this will help them learn or remember that smoking in bad for their health.