Ruling blocking graphic cigarette health warnings presents major setback for public health
The American Association for Cancer Research strongly opposes the recent federal ruling that blocks implementation of the graphic warning labels for cigarette packaging and advertising and urges the Justice Department to swiftly appeal the decision.
“This ruling shows a blatant disregard for the scourge of death and disease caused by tobacco use,” said Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., chairperson of the AACR Task Force on Tobacco and Cancer and chief of medical oncology at Yale University. “The new labels were developed based on rigorous scientific evidence and will be an invaluable tool to help communicate the many public health dangers of tobacco use.”
The mandate for new health warnings was a critical component of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was passed with bipartisan support by Congress in 2009. The parameters in the law are based on decades of science showing that large, graphic warnings are an effective way to increase awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, to dissuade nonsmokers from starting to smoke and to motivate smokers to quit.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon grants a preliminary injunction blocking the government from requiring the new warnings, which were unveiled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2011 and were due to appear by September 2012. The new labels use large color photos or drawings to depict the negative health consequences of smoking and include concise statements, such as “Cigarettes cause cancer.”
“This ruling is a disappointing setback, and we hope the administration will waste no time in appealing the injunction,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Nearly one third of all cancer deaths are caused by tobacco use — and cancer is only one of the ways that tobacco kills people. Yet, one in five Americans is still smoking, and 1,000 children across the nation become addicted to tobacco products every single day. We must waste no time in our efforts to reduce the burden of this horrible carcinogen which causes no fewer than 18 different types of cancer.”
In 2010, the AACR released a comprehensive policy statement on tobacco and cancer composed of policy recommendations and a road map for future research to stem the tide of tobacco-related death and disease. The statement urged more stringent and effective warning labels based on scientific evidence and recommended inclusion of the 1-800-QUIT-NOW cessation resource on labels.