Surgeon General's Warning

Tobacco packaging warning messages are warning messages that appear on the packaging of cigarettes and other tobacco products concerning their health effects. They have been implemented in an effort to enhance the public's awareness of the harmful effects of smoking. In general, warnings used in different countries try to emphasize the same messages. Warnings for some countries are listed below. Such warnings have been required in tobacco advertising for many years.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted in 2003 requires such packing warning massages to promote awareness against smoking.

A 2009 review summarises that "There is clear evidence that tobacco package health warnings increase consumers’ knowledge about the health consequences of tobacco use." The warning messages "contribute to changing consumers’ attitudes towards tobacco use as well as changing consumers’ behaviour."

At the same time, such warning labels have been subject to criticism. 2007 meta-analyses indicated that communications emphasizing the severity of a threat are less effective than communications focusing on susceptibility, and that warning labels may have no effect among smokers who are not confident that they can quit, which lead the authors to recommend exploring different, potentially more effective methods of behavior change.

Text-based warnings on cigarette packets are used in Albania.

General warning:

As of January 30, 2013, all cigarette packages must include graphical warning labels that show the detrimental effects on the health of long-term smokers.

Translation of words in box: "Smoking is very bad for health. It can cause heart disease, gangrene, lung cancer, reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis, stroke, throat and mouth cancer, and emphysema. If you smoke despite all this, don't say that we did not warn you."

On 1 December 2012, Australia introduced groundbreaking legislation and the world's toughest tobacco packaging warning messages to date. All marketing and brand devices were removed from the package and replaced with warnings, only the name of the product remain in generic standard sized text. All tobacco products sold, offered for sale or otherwise supplied in Australia were plain packaged and labelled with new and expanded health warnings.

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