New Cigarette Labels Will Graphically Illustrate Consequences of Smoking

New cigarette labels mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will carry graphic images of the consequences of smoking, including diseased lungs and rotting teeth, the Boston Herald reports.

The new labels are a result of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which gave the FDA authority to regulate the content, marketing and sale of tobacco products. The law requires the FDA to issue final regulations requiring color graphics illustrating the ugly consequences of smoking by June 22, 2011.

The FDA will require that the disturbing pictures cover at least half of the front and the back of a cigarette package by October 2012. The FDA will also require that the images take up to at least 20 percent of each cigarette ad.

To see examples of the new cigarette label warnings, visit the FDA website.