Tobacco shops will FINALLY be forced to put up health warnings about cigarettes trends now
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The signage comes nearly two decades behind Europe and the UK, which have required such warnings on cigarette packs since 2003
Major tobacco companies will be forced to put up warning signs in retail shops about the dangers of smoking, according to an order from the Justice Department.
The mandate for tobacco manufacturers is a result of a landmark federal court case that stretched for more than a decade.
Starting in July 2023, roughly 200,000 US retailers with marketing agreements with major tobacco companies will be made to display signs that warn consumers about the myriad dangers of cigarette smoking.
Some of the statements printed on signs will include: ‘Smoking cigarettes causes numerous diseases and on average 1,200 American deaths every day', and ‘nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive.’
The order from the Justice Department comes amid mounting evidence that cigarette smokers and nicotine vape users share the same risk of developing heart disease, suggesting that vaping is not a safer smoking alternative.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton who heads the Justice Department’s Civil Division said Wednesday: ‘Cigarette companies misled the public for decades about the health risks of smoking and were ordered by a federal court to implement a series of corrective measures.
‘Today’s order requiring implementation of that remaining remedy is a major achievement that will educate American consumers and save lives.’
The DOJ’s order marks the final step in implementing penalties faced by major tobacco companies in a case that the Justice Department argued in 1999.
In it, the government alleged the giant companies had violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a tool initially used to prosecute the mafia.
A federal court found the companies guilty in 2006 of purposely misleading the
