Do Cigarette Warnings Warn? Understanding What It Will Take to Develop More Effective Warnings

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Abstract
Warnings in cigarette advertisements have been the principal method mandated by the federal government to educate consumers about the risks of smoking . Warnings have been required in all cigarette ads for 30 years and have remained largely unchanged during this time . The current warning program was neither developed nor implemented with specific communication goals in mind . Instead , it was negotiated by the government and tobacco industry representatives . The warning program has served the tobacco industry well by providing it with a key argument in tobacco litigation : "We warned you." It has , however , failed as a public health strategy , since much research has shown that the current warnings are ineffective communication devices . If Congress is to be effective in its efforts to educate consumers about the risks of smoking , it needs to rethink the warning strategy while making use of knowledge regarding how warnings work . The paper draws from current studies in order to develop realistic cigarette warning objectives and points out the considerations necessary to create such warnings . To be effective , warnings must be developed , targeted , tested , and revised over time .

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