Cigarette companies are smart and make the warning labels on their products as discrete as possible. Most of us know smokers, most of us are smokers, and most of us have probably never read the Surgeon General's warning on cigarette packages. Currently the Surgeon General's warning reads as follows: “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy." This last revision was made in 1985, which was nearly three decades ago.

Three decades is a ridiculous amount of time yet nothing has been done to improve the effectiveness of the Surgeon General’s warning, as if that wasn't bad enough there are several different countries that force cigarette companies to make warning labels that are far more visible and informative than the ones we have here in the United States. A great example is set by our neighbors to the north Canada, their warning labels are required to take up at least 50% of all cigarette packaging.

Most of us are aware of the negative effects of smoking, however there are far more of us that are unaware to its negative side effects and possible long term harm smoking can have on our health. With such a large number of smokers the United States Public Health Service has neglected their duty to inform us of these dangers by not strongly enforcing cigarette companies to give the warning labels good real estate and allowing them to camouflage them to make it seem like it’s just another logo.

This petition will serve as a voice to the voiceless. The USPHS will hear us and with time will finally right this wrong. Cigarette companies will also hear us and they will change their packaging to the benefit of us the consumers. Our quest to inform others of smoking’s negative health effects starts here at the source the cigarettes themselves. Signing is the first step in true change in the cigarette industry in 30 years. Sign now and be a catalyst for change!

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