of all. Do warnings work? There is ample evidence to conclude that smokers and potential starters do not understand either the nature of the risks or the magnitude of the dangers of tobacco products. Many understand that "smoking is bad for you." But beyond this superficial level of awareness, knowledge levels of risk are inadequate. 15 In 1989, the United States surgeon general reported that smokers were "unaware of even the most rudimentary health risk information about smoking." 16 In 1996, even with Canada's stronger warnings in effect, only 64% of respondents could identify lung cancer as a tobacco risk. Addiction was known to only 26%. 17 Cunningham reviewed Canadian tobacco industry documents and discovered an extraordinary underestimation of risk. 6 Recent evidence shows that the situation has not improved. 18 19 Warnings can have a positive impact on consumers, especially on starters and those contemplating quitting smoking, if the warnings are highly visible and provide specific rather than general information. 16 20 Recent Polish evidence shows direct increases in awareness and reductions in consumption as a result of new warnings. Zatonski says that 3% of male smokers and 4% of female smokers reported quitting following the introduction of strong warnings. 21 Although these percentages seem modest, when considered across an entire population, such an impact translates into an extraordinary health gain for the Polish people. In Canada, in 1994, just the movement of a warning from the bottom of the package to the top and a change from the