Antitobacco groups decided to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. They are trying again to make the agency use graphic warning labels on cigarettes. According to the law, FDA was supposed from 2011 to use color graphics that warned people about the dangers of smoking.
The groups asked the court to give FDA a new deadline for the warning labels. They said that FDA has not been respecting the law for more than four yeas. The companies involved in the lawsuit are the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other five public health groups.
Tobacco companies from the United States have avoided graphic cigarette warning labels for many years. They always say they are protected by the First Amendment, the gives the right of commercial free speech. However, the antitobacco groups think that the government should have different limits when it comes to warning labels because they could really decrease the smoking rates.
Until now, FDA officials did not comment on this lawsuit. However, they said they are supporting a new rule for the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. We do not know when the rule will be proposed and what it is about.
It could come as a surprise, but the United States are one of the few countries where graphic warning labels have not ben used. More than 90 countries are using these labels, with decaying teeth or sick lungs, to raise awareness about the disadvantages of smoking. Moreover, in the United Kingdom, the authorities want to eliminate cigarette branding. This way, big companies such as Lucky Strike will lose their unique packages.
The groups said that, according to a study, simple health warning on the labels are not effective. People should really see what could happen to them if they keep smoking. While FDA is sued due to warning labels, there are millions of Americans who still smoke. Most of them know how dangerous this habit can be, but they do not seem to care.
The biggest problem is that people do not think something wrong could happen to them until it is too late. Lung cancer is one of the main causes of death around the world. Even though you are feeling good at the moment, smoking will reveal its side-effects when you will be older.
Image source: Wikipedia
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