From the Daily News Egypt…

Instead of deterring smokers, the new set of warning pictures printed on cigarette packs are driving up the sales of metal cigarette boxes, Ibrahim El Embaby, head of the Tobacco Industry Division of the Industries Union, told local press.
According to the new tobacco law, which was approved by the People’s Assembly (PA) last June, a detailed health warning has to cover 50 percent of the pack on both sides. In addition to warning labels, cigarette packs now feature pictures explaining the side effects of smoking: a dying man in an oxygen mask, and a limp cigarette in reference to impotence, among others.
In addition, all forms of tobacco advertising are prohibited, and a 10 percent increase is added to the price of cigarettes.
The law also bans smoking in health and educational institutions, youth centers, legislative associations and all governmental authorities and clubs.
The organization in which the violation takes place is to pay a fine between LE 1,000 and LE 50,000 while the person who is caught smoking will be fined from LE 50 to LE 100.
However, numbers show that the law is ineffective.

I was chatting with a journalist friend from el-Badeel the other day and he was saying the “dying man in an oxygen mask” is actually alive, and he’s suing the govt for using his pic without his permission. Did anyone hear anything about that?
As a smoker, this picture doesn’t scare me enough into not buying the cigarettes pack.. But may be if they put jimmi’s on it, with some health advisory like “Watch out, you’ll turn into that if you smoke this pack” I’ll start considering…

Smokers are also coming up with creative ways to avoid looking at the “dying man in an oxygen mask.” including a friend of mine I saw yesterday who had Che on her cigarettes pack…