13 December 2000 - issued by BMA London Office

BMA supports European Parliament vote for tougher tobacco warnings

Speaking after the European Parliament Second Reading vote on an EU Directive mandating larger, more visible health warnings on cigarette packs and tougher regulation of the noxious ingredients in cigarettes, Dr Vivienne Nathanson of the BMA said:

"We are delighted that the European Parliament has backed this Directive. We know that messages on cigarette packs are one way of reaching all smokers. Making the health warnings more visible and more informative will encourage existing smokers to give up and discourage some young people from taking up this deadly habit in the first place. This has got to be a step in the right direction."

On the issue of banning the use of terms such as "light", "ultra-light" and "mild" to describe tobacco products, Dr Nathanson said:

"Tobacco is the only product that, if used in accordance with the manufacturers instructions will eventually kill half the people who use it. There is no such thing as a "healthy cigarette" and the tobacco industry should stop trying to mislead people into thinking otherwise."

BMA supports European Parliament vote for tougher tobacco warnings	Strasbourg 13 December 2000
	Dr Vivienne Nathanson British Medical Association Ben Duncan (BMA European Liaison) Prof. Gerard Hastings Centre for Tobacco Control Research Lobby the European Parliament to support tougher health warnings and restrictions on misleading branding.
	Luk Joosens International Union Against Cancer Andrew Hayes Association of European Cancer Leagues Ben Duncan BMA Jules Maaten MEP

Note to Editors
The European Parliament voted on the Directive on the composition and labelling of tobacco products today (13 December 2000) at 12.00 GMT. The Directive needs to be approved by EU Health Ministers before it can become law. Dr Nathanson was in Strasbourg this week lobbying MEPs to vote in favour of the Directive.

ENDS