Cigarette packets are a powerful marketing tool that attract young people - our children. Unbranding cigarette packs won't stop everyone from smoking, but it will give our kids one less reason to start.
A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a decision barring the federal government from requiring tobacco companies to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages to show that smoking can disfigure and even kill people.
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington affirmed a lower court ruling that the requirement ran afoul of the First Amendment's free speech protections. The appeals court tossed out the requirement and told the Food and Drug Administration to go back to the drawing board.
The court also wrote that the FDA "has not provided a shred of evidence" showing that the warnings will "directly advance" its interest in reducing the number of Americans who smoke.
This is a set back to anti-smoking advocates in the U.S., but the good news is that the Government of Australia will likely be documenting the effects their new Plain Packs law has on reducing the number of replacement smokers in their country.
Once those statistics become available, they can serve as evidence in a court of law.
According to an Associated Press news release today -
ReplyDeleteA federal appeals court on Friday upheld a decision barring the federal government from requiring tobacco companies to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages to show that smoking can disfigure and even kill people.
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington affirmed a lower court ruling that the requirement ran afoul of the First Amendment's free speech protections. The appeals court tossed out the requirement and told the Food and Drug Administration to go back to the drawing board.
The court also wrote that the FDA "has not provided a shred of evidence" showing that the warnings will "directly advance" its interest in reducing the number of Americans who smoke.
This is a set back to anti-smoking advocates in the U.S., but the good news is that the Government of Australia will likely be documenting the effects their new Plain Packs law has on reducing the number of replacement smokers in their country.
Once those statistics become available, they can serve as evidence in a court of law.
Public health policy experts are advising federal regulators on how to implement a 2009 law requiring graphic tobacco warning labels on cigarette packages. FDA Preparing To Relaunch Graphic Tobacco Warning Labels.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to the American Journal of Preventative Medicine article.