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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
HHS announces new tobacco strategy and proposed new warnings and graphics for
cigarette packs and advertisements U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled a new comprehensive
tobacco control strategy that includes proposed new bolder health warnings on
cigarette packages and advertisements. Once final, these health warnings on
cigarettes and in cigarette advertisements will be the most significant change in
more than 25 years. These actions are part of a broader strategy that will help
tobacco users quit and prevent children from starting.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature and preventable death in the United
States, responsible for 443,000 deaths each year. Thirty percent of all cancer
deaths are due to tobacco. Each day 1,200 lives of current and former smokers are
lost prematurely due to tobacco-related diseases.
"Every day, almost 4,000 youth try a cigarette for the first time and 1,000 youth
become regular, daily smokers,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Today marks
an important milestone in protecting our children and the health of the American
public."
The strategy includes a proposal issued by the Food and Drug Administration titled
Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements. Specifically, the
proposed rule details a requirement of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco
Control Act that nine new larger and more noticeable textual warning statements and
color graphic images depicting the negative health consequences of smoking appear on
cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements. The public has an opportunity
to comment on 36 proposed images through January 9, 2011.
By June 22, 2011, FDA will select the final nine graphic and textual warning
statements after a comprehensive review of the relevant scientific literature, the
public comments, and results from an 18,000 person study. Implementation of the
final rule (September 22, 2012) will ultimately prohibit companies from
manufacturing cigarettes without new graphic health warnings on their packages for
sale or distribution in the United States. In addition, manufacturers, importers,
distributors and retailers will no longer be allowed to advertise cigarettes without
the new graphic health warnings in the United States. By October 22, 2012,
manufacturers can no longer distribute cigarettes for sale in the United States that
do not display the new graphic health warnings.
"Today, FDA takes a crucial step toward reducing the tremendous toll of illness and
death caused by tobacco use by proposing to dramatically change how cigarette
packages and advertising look in this country. When the rule takes effect, the
health consequences of smoking will be obvious every time someone picks up a pack of
cigarettes," said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. "This is a concrete
example of how FDA’s new responsibilities for tobacco product regulation can benefit
the public’s health."
The FDA action is part of a broad department-wide strategy that was announced by
Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., MPH. While progress has been
made, smoking remains particularly high with low-income and within certain
racial/ethnic groups and in certain populations, including people with mental
illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Ending the Tobacco Epidemic: A Tobacco
Control strategic Action Plan outlines specific, evidence-based actions that will
help create a society free of tobacco-related death and disease.
"We are at an unprecedented time in our nation’s history to protect the public’s
health from tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable, premature death in the
United States,” said Dr. Koh. "It will take renewed commitment from every sector of
society to end the tobacco epidemic.”
In addition to the announcements made today, other recent tobacco control and
prevention efforts include:
The Affordable Care Act is giving Americans in private and public health plans
access to recommended preventive care, like tobacco use cessation, at no additional
cost.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) invested $225 million to support
local, state and national efforts to promote comprehensive tobacco control and
expand tobacco quitlines.
The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT) aims to stop the illegal sale of
tobacco products over the Internet and through mail order, including the illegal
sale to youth.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) gives FDA the
authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing and distribution of tobacco
products. Significant progress has already been made by restricting the use of the
terms "light", "low", and "mild," banning characterizing fruit, candy, and spice,
flavors from cigarettes, and putting in place restrictions on the sale and
distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to youth.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) raised the
federal cigarette tax by 62 cents per pack. Raising the price of tobacco products
is a proven way to reduce tobacco use, especially among price-sensitive populations
such as youth.
For more about today’s announcements, go to
http://www.hhs.gov/tobaccocontrol/index.html ###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at
http://www.hhs.gov/news.
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