FDA Unveils Graphic Health Warnings It Wants To Add To Cigarette Packages To Deter Smoking

CrePHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The FDA has unveiled graphic health warnings it wants to add to cigarette packages and labels to deter people from smoking. The proposed warning labels feature graphic images showing what the FDA calls the lesser-known consequences of smoking -- conditions like cancerous tumors, COPD, lost limbs and macular degeneration.

Cigarette labels were last updated in 1984 to include a warning on the side of the box from the surgeon general.

"Graphic warning labels are proven to reduce tobacco use, whether its to prevent kids from starting to use or to prompt smokers to get the help they need to quit," said Erika Sward, with the American Lung Association.

The FDA tried to change labels a decade ago, but a federal appeals court sided with the tobacco industry, saying they violated the First Amendment.