Day 66: Warning

This is the first time I've seen warning labels like this on cigarette packages and apparently this is just a mild version of what's to come. Beginning September 2012, the FDA will require all tobacco companies to include larger and more graphic warning labels on all cigarette packages and advertisements. The FDA hopes that these gruesome graphics will prevent people from purchasing cigarettes.

R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris, the two largest tobacco companies, claimed that these new labels violate the First Amendment. According to a letter from Phillip Morris, "Any government requirement that compels a private entity to carry a message not of its own choosing raises constitutional concerns ... To the extent that FDA were to select warnings based on their ability to evoke negative or cognitive reactions -- not their ability to objectively inform consumers about the health risks of smoking -- such warnings would not pass constitutional muster".

If the FDA is going to set this precedent, then they should also consider placing labels on other items that put people at risk of disease. For example, we know that years of cigarette use increase the likely-hood of lung cancer. At the same time, we also know that years of eating bad foods that contain sugars, fats, and high-fructose corn syrup increase the likely-hood of obesity and diabetes. If gruesome labels are to be mandated on cigarette packages, why not place similar labels on sodas, potato chips, and candy?

No matter what the solution, it'll be interesting to see what happens in the coming months. Perhaps this will be the beginning of something bigger than fighting against tobacco...

Nadine