Starting in October 2008, tobacco companies will be required to place graphic warnings on every pack of cigarettes they sell in the U.K., the BBC reported Aug. 28.

Regulations slated to be fully implemented by the end of 2009 call for a panel to choose a series of 15 graphic images that will be rotated on cigarette packs. "We do think it will help the number of people, who want to give up to smoking -- the vast majority of smokers want to give up -- and this will give them an extra push," said U.K. Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

England and Wales also are raising their minimum cigarette purchase age from 16 to 18.

The U.K. will be the first nation in Europe to require graphic warning labels; Canada and Brazil already have similar laws in place.

The antismoking group Ash endorsed the plan, but the smoker's rights group Forest complained that smokers were being harassed by the government.

"You could construct exactly the same argument for placing graphic images on bottles of alcohol, but because most people like to drink alcohol, the government doesn't want to offend the majority," said Forest spokesperson Neil Rafferty. "The government are bullying smokers simply because they can get away with it."