U.S. introduces new warning labels on cigarettes

Federal drug regulators in the U.S. have unveiled 36 proposed warning labels to appear on cigarette packages. They’re designed to cover half the surface area of a pack or carton of cigarettes, as well as one-fifth of any advertisements for the product, the New York Times reports. Aimed to get smokers to quit, one shows a toe tag on a corpse; another shows a mom blowing smoke over her baby. These labels are required after a law passed last year gave the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate, not ban, tobacco products. Some cigarette manufacturers have said they’ll fight the labels in court since they infringe on their property and free speech rights. The U.S. was the first company to require health warnings on tobacco products, but 39 other countries now require large, graphic depictions. Meanwhile, Health Canada recently backed off a plan to introduce even more graphic warnings, a decision opposed by the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

New York Times