Judge Blocks Graphic Warnings On Cigarettes; Store Signs Get New Rules
A federal judge in Texas ruled Wednesday that an FDA rule requiring graphic warnings on cigarette packages would violate the companies' First Amendment rights. Separately, the Justice Department is requiring tobacco companies to warn about health dangers of smoking in store displays.
Reuters:
FDA Rule Mandating Graphic Warnings On Cigarettes Blocked By Judge
A federal judge has blocked a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule requiring graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements that had been challenged by cigarette companies. U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker in Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday found that the rule, which was to take effect next October, violated the companies' rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by compelling speech. (Pierson, 12/8)
Washington Times:
Big Tobacco Brands Must Display Signs In Stores Explaining Risks Of Smoking, Per Justice Department
America’s big tobacco companies will now be required to produce and display signage in stores explaining the risks of smoking, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. The order was the last of a set of corrective remedies mandated by a 1999 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit filed by the government. (Matthews, 12/8)
More about smoking and vaping —
HealthDay News:
Pipe Tobacco, Other Products Could Provide Loophole To Menthol Cigarette Ban
A proposed U.S. federal ban on menthol cigarettes doesn't go far enough and needs to include other menthol products, from pipe tobacco to cigarette tubes, researchers say. New evidence shows both the appeal and the addiction potential of these substitutes in adults who smoke menthol cigarettes, said scientists from Rutgers University Center for Tobacco Studies in New Brunswick, N.J., and Ohio State University. (Murez, 12/8)
News-Medical.net:
Vaping During Pregnancy May Give Babies A Greater Propensity To Develop Pulmonary Disease
Babies born to mothers who vape during pregnancy are at greater risk of developing pulmonary dysfunction, according to a new mouse study from The Ohio State University (OSU). Researchers also found the risk of pulmonary diseases, such as asthma, continued into adulthood. The findings are published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, and the study has been chosen as an APSselect article for December. (Henderson, 12/8)
News-Medical.net:
Genes Related To Alcohol And Tobacco Use Are Similar Among People With Diverse Ancestries
Penn State researchers co-led a large genetic study that identified more than 2,300 genes predicting alcohol and tobacco use after analyzing data from more than 3.4 million people. They said a majority of these genes were similar among people with European, African, American and Asian ancestries. (Henderson, 12/8)
