Hollywood to Kids: Smoking Isn't Cool

Were they still alive today, John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart might have been given a serious image makeover. The message from Hollywood last year: smoking in movies is not cool anymore.

The number of scenes that show cigarettes has fallen dramatically in the last five years, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Tobacco tussle

A local and a national story last week shed light on the complexities in the war on tobacco.

The city of Worcester has put a hold on the advertising section of its new tobacco ordinance, while a civil action filed by the tobacco industry is pending in federal court.

New cigarette ads designed to persuade smokers to quit

We hear it from friends and family. We are reminded in public service announcements that second-hand smoke is similar to child abuse and the coughing and shortness of breath after climbing a flight of stairs. Even cigarette packs discourage the use of the very product they contain.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration is requiring all cigarette packaging and advertisements to contain graphic warnings against the dangers of tobacco products. Will grotesque images drive home the message that smoking is bad?

The Warnings

Before September 2012, the Food and Drug Administration will require every cigarette pack to feature gruesome pictures, such as ones that depict a mouth ravaged by gum cancer or someone blowing smoke in an infant’s face.Cigarette news.