After 25 years, the Food and Drug Administration has released its updated ‘Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements’ that officially go into effect September 2012.
As part of the new campaign, FDA created an interactive tool to show how the new labels will look when sold. It also held a Twitter discussion yesterday using the hashtag #cigwarnings. You can follow the campaign on Twitter at @FDATobacco. FDA is also soliciting ideas to help promote the new warnings.
Key dates for the warning include:
- September 22, 2012 – Cigarettes for sale or distribution in the United States can no longer be manufactured or advertised without the new cigarette health warnings
- October 22, 2012 – Cigarette manufacturers can no longer distribute cigarettes for sale in the United States unless they display the new cigarette health warnings
Design instructions mandate the new warnings must appear:
- on the top 50 percent of both the front and rear panels of each cigarette package.
- in the upper portion of each cigarette advertisement, occupying at least 20 percent of the area of the advertisement.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced the new labels at the White House:
Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements
Food and Drug Administration Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements
