INFORMATION DISCLOSURE, SMOKING AND HEALTH PROTECTION - A CRITIQUE OFTHE EUROPEAN DIRECTIVE ON THE LABELING OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS

European Directive 89/622, which came into operation in January 1992, made it obligatory to display health warnings on the packets of cigare ttes marketed in the European Union and to display tar and nicotine yi elds, in numerical form, on such packets. The directive can be seen as involving a two-pronged health protection strategy: the health warnin gs were designed to encourage smokers to stop, while the tar and nicot ine yields were part of a policy to induce those who could not give up to switch to 'low tar' brands. This article critically analyses the a pproach to health protection taken in the Directive. It argues that, a s research evidence indicates that smokers frequently misperceive yiel d data as indicating maximum intake levels, two dangers stem from the directive: brands with 'low' tar numbers may be seen as 'safe', thus n egating the health warning and smokers who 'switch down' are likely to have an exaggerated view of their likely reduction in tar intake as t hey are not alerted to the significance of smoking patterns for intake levels.