Cigarette Packaging in Europe Vs. United States

@BlueVeins When you say: "you can have cancer because of smoking" , or you show them a picture of an actual lung that has cancer. Is the information you give "overreach"? Or are you saying the same thing, one showing the consequences and the other saying them. In both cases, you don't deny annyone from lighting up a cigarette.

@BlueVeins Pictures get messages across more effectively. How many people do you think actually read the Terms of Service even on this site?

@Kwek00 I mean, showing someone a lung with cancer in it isn't really giving them information unless they've never seen that before. And even then, you could make a pretty good argument that that information isn't meaningful because the appearance of a ruined lung isn't important in itself -- what's important is the consequences. You're kinda just forcing them to look at it. You're not particularly denying anyone the right to light up; I kinda just think it's overreach to force someone to visually process that every time when they already know and understand the consequences in general.

@BlueVeins You really believe that all people that light up a cigarette understand the consequences? I think that's super naieve, because there is a tendency with a large part of the poppulation to believe that these things don't happen to them. Hence, they actively deny the issue will ever come into their life untill it actually happens.

A bit like those people that hear about COVID and even see the pictures on TV. But still do as if nothing is happening, because it won't happen to them. And then when they come out of the COVID recovery room in the hospital, things suddenly get verry real, and they feel like a changed person because they were actually confronted with the problem that they were immune to before.

This also happens with people that have a heavy foot on the gaspedal. Riding like the roadwarrior is pretty cool, and accidents never happen to them. Untill they do. Because loads of people just see it as an exterior issue that will never enter their life.

This is a pretty common thing in a large part of the population.

@Kwek00 Yes, and that applies to every risk, but if people read a warning label and ignore it, that's ultimately their own fault and their own problem.

@BlueVeins One could make a counter argument that if someone just prints a block of text onto a package knowing there are more effective ways to get the message across you could make the argument the warning label is a failure.

@BlueVeins If people see the consequences on a picture and ignore it, then it's ultimately their own fault too. I mean... that argument works just as well for me as it works for you. But when it comes effectiveness! The pictures work better according to studies.

And again... I think everyone should be allowed to smoke. I have a bigger problem, with crusaders that start being dicks to smokers on places where you can actually smoke. But I have no issue with the information being given as a picture instead of just a warning label by text.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow @Kwek00 I mean yeah, yinzers make good points. This is defs one of the issues where i'm very wishy-washy and i vibe with doing the pictures thing too.

@BlueVeins I also think, that when it comes to this. It's better as a society to try to minimize adiction. It might bring a lot in the treasure chest due to taxes, but in certain systems it also costs loads of money on medical bills. And even tough I'm okay with having warnings on cigars and pipe tabacco. I still favor a bunch of recretational users that smoke some good tabacco from time to time even with the risks, then a bunch of people smoking chemically treated tabacco that aims at hooking people up for life.

I also think that the risks of alcohol use and mariuhana shouldn't be downplayed.
But again... no crusades, viscious behavior towards users or a ban. But the possible consequence and what they actually mean in real life are okay to be visualised on the packaging. At the end it's just a form of prevention and people can still make a choice.

I had more issues with your use of the term "overreach".