Please note: This is one of the top five most read articles in the government relations news category for NACS News in 2011. View the original story here.

WASHINGTON €" This morning FDA announced the nine graphic cigarette health warnings required to appear on every pack of cigarettes, cartons and cigarette advertisement no later than September 2012.

Once implemented, all cigarettes manufactured for sale or distribution in the United States will need to include the new graphic health warnings on their packages. Each warning is also to be accompanied by the phone number 1-800-QUIT-NOW. The FDA says that these warnings are expected to have "a significant public health impact by decreasing the number of smokers."

NACS Daily reported last week the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) requires that cigarette packages and advertisements have larger and more visible graphic health warnings. These new required warnings consist of nine new textual warning statements accompanied by color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking. This represents the most significant change to cigarette labels in more than a quarter century and will affect everything from packaging to advertising. The labels combine graphic imagery with straightforward facts to make the message clear: smoking can kill you.