Britain Strengthens Warnings in Bid to Curb Cigarette Smoking

The British government has announced tough new measures to try to curb cigarette smoking, which is blamed for an estimated 100,000 deaths a year.

The measures, detailed Monday, include stronger warnings to be printed on cigarette packs, cautioning that smoking can cause heart disease, lung cancer and bronchitis and that it is particularly dangerous for pregnant women.

Social Services Minister Norman Fowler said he is also banning cigarette advertisements in movie houses, near schools and in magazines with a female readership greater than 200,000 and where a third of the readers are in the 15-to-24 age range.