If regulators approve, Massachusetts would be the first state to require stores that sell cigarettes to display medical warnings featuring graphic images of damage done by smoking.
The Boston Globe reported that the proposal has been presented to state health regulators. It would be funded by $300,000 in federal stimulus money.
The campaign is modeled after one in New York City. Cigarette retailers have to hang signs showing diseased lungs, hearts and teeth. Other posters feature instructions on how to quit smoking.
Stores that don't comply could face fines of up to $300.
Signs could start appearing before the end of the year in more than 9,000 Massachusetts convenience stores.
Australia is considering a campaign that is even more graphic than the one in New York. A proposed law would put graphic images of the effects of smoking directly on cigarette packs, in place of company logos and designs.
"The government makes no apology whatsoever for what it's doing. The cigarette tobacco companies will hate this measure. They will oppose it. Nonetheless, we believe this and other measures help to reduce smoking," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.
Cigarette companies are fighting the move.
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