Question

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The warnings on the cigarette packs are sufficient enough to protect tobacco companies from further liability. Individuals who choose to smoke are aware of the health risks of cigarettes. It is up to individuals whether they want to put their lives at risk or not. However, I also feel that a more graphic picture or label on the cigarette packets is a more effective way of communicating the risks of cigarettes (Hammond, 2006).

In the Law Matter video, David Bazaar from Law Matters, state that in most tobacco cases usually individual cases receive compensatory damage rather than punitive damages (Bazar & Associates Attorneys at Law, 2016). In other words, if tobacco companies are not misleading the product users, then it is more likely for the victim to receive compensatory damage for the actual harm that they have suffered. Therefore, I truly think that individuals who choose to smoke cigarettes are at fault for their actions rather than the tobacco companies. They are aware of the risks and dangers that tobacco and cigarettes contain, yet they still choose to smoke.

Answer 1

The extent to which smokers understand the magnitude of these health risks has a strong influence on their smoking behaviour.Smokers who perceive greater health risk from smoking are more likely to intend to quit and to quit smoking successfully.The health risks of smoking are also the most common motivation to quit cited by current and former smokers, as well as the best predictor of long‐term abstinence among reasons for quitting.

At present, most smokers concede that tobacco use is a health risk; however, important gaps remain in their understanding of these risks.Many smokers are unable to recall specific health effects and most tend to underestimate the scope of these effects. Even in countries such as Canada, with among the most progressive tobacco control policies in the world, a significant proportion of smokers continue to underestimate the most serious risks of smoking, including heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease, as well as the risks of environmental tobacco smoke.

In addition to the fact that smokers are not fully informed, there are biases in how smokers perceive these risks. In a review of the research literature, Weinstein found that, although most smokers acknowledge the risk of smoking, they tend to “minimize that risk and show a clear tendency to believe that the risk applies more to other smokers than to themselves” ,. Considerably less is known about smokers' knowledge of the constituents of tobacco smoke, including well‐known toxicants such as carbon monoxide and cyanide. What little evidence exists suggests a very low level of awareness,although the impact of this knowledge remains largely unexplored.

So finally, Smokers are not fully informed about the risks of smoking. Warnings that are graphic, larger, and more comprehensive in content are more effective in communicating the health risks of smoking.