Image choice for tobacco products

People in Jersey are being asked to help choose the images that will be printed on tobacco products to show the effects of smoking on people's health.

New laws to be introduced later in the year will ensure all such products carry picture warnings. Packets currently only have written warnings.

The public can help choose the pictures by visiting Jersey Health's website.

Andrew Heaven, Jersey's head of Health Improvement, said he hoped the pictures would help people quit or cut down.

Increased quit rate

He said such schemes had worked well in other countries where it had been tried.

He said: "What other countries have shown is that when they've implemented these measures there was then an increased quit rate, with smokers either wanting to quit or cut down.

"In Canada and Brazil it was interesting because there was also a reduced number of young people taking up the habit."

New laws are also to be introduced in Guernsey shortly to ensure that all tobacco products have picture warnings.

Images showing the dangers of smoking will be printed on all tobacco products sold in the UK by the end of 2009.