NYC Health Dept.
Posters featuring blackened lungs and other effects of smoking could be posted at cigarette retailers in New York City.
(June 30) -- Blackened lung tissue. Amputated finger tips. Tracheotomy scars. Sound appetizing?
These images could be part of a new antismoking campaign in New York City. A proposal from the city's Department of Mental Health and Hygiene suggests prominently displaying antismoking signs near the cash registers of all cigarette retailers.
The legislation would be the first of its kind in the United States. And while Canada, New Zealand and Australia currently have sign requirements, New York would be the first to include graphics, according to The New York Times' City Room blog.
The graphic nature of the graphics has drawn some complaints. Though gruesome visuals have been the most effective way of inciting New Yorkers to pursue quitting, according to the Times' blog, forcing people to look at them while they shop may be controversial.
The measure is for the collective good, Health Department Commissioner Thomas A. Farley told The New York Times.
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"The issue is that when people go to the store, they get advertisements encouraging them to smoke, encouraging them to pick up what is an addictive drug and is killing people," he said. "So we need to balance that with some information that protects people."
The Times' report on the proposed campaign suggests that the graphic posters may be going a step too far, not only forcing unpleasant images onto those New Yorkers who don't smoke, but taking too many liberties with government influence over the public. The report offered the comparison of posting photos of morbidly obese people at candy counters, to highlight the impact of too many candy bars.
But Sarah B. Perl, the health department's assistant commissioner for tobacco control, supports the signs. She told the Times the city wants to balance the advertising from cigarette manufacturers already present at cash registers.
"It’s really about getting them at the point-of-sale moment," Perl said.
For more on the campaign, read The New York Times article.
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