Cigarette companies balking at Justice Dept's request for "confessional" advertising that they say goes too far
Health News

Cigarette companies balking at Justice Dept's request for "confessional" advertising that they say goes too far


Calling them "forced public confessions," America's largest tobacco companies are asking a federal judge to reject the government's proposed corrective statements for cigarette advertising. Fred Frommer reports for the Associated Press that the Justice Department has responded by saying that such statements need to be strong enough to protect people from future false declarations made by cigarette makers. The statements that the tobacco industry views as "going too far" include admissions that the companies lied about the dangers of smoking, the addictiveness of nicotine, the lack of health benefits for "low-tar" and "light" cigarettes and the negative effect of second-hand smoke. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler, who is hearing the case, has already said "she wants the industry to pay for corrective statements in various types of ads," writes Frommer. (Associated Press photo)

Judge Kessler ruled in 2006 that America's largest cigarette makers had systematically concealed the dangers of smoking for decades and that, as assurance that the crime was not repeated, such statements as a requirement in tobacco advertising would be appropriate. An example of an advertising statement under consideration, as suggested by the Justice Dept.: "For decades, we denied that we controlled the level of nicotine delivered in cigarettes. Here's the truth: Cigarettes are a finely tuned nicotine delivery device designed to addict people." At Monday?s hearing, Kessler said she doesn?t have to take the government?s proposed statements word-for-word, and will come up with ?modifications.? (Read more)




- Study Finds Electronic Cigarettes Help People Stop Smoking
A study has found that electronic cigarettes help people cut back on their use of tobacco, Christopher Ingraham reports for The Washington Post. The finding was part of a study published in the International Journal of Environmental...

- Fayette County Board Of Health Wants To Regulate Electronic Cigarettes, Raising Some Questions
The Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health is discussing ways to restrict the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and strategies to inform people about their potential dangers, Mary Meehan writes for the Lexington Herald-Leader. This continues...

- State House Panel Oks Bill To Regulate E-cigarettes In Ky.
Electronic cigarettes would be regulated as tobacco products in Kentucky under a bill that the House Licensing and Occupations Committee approved Wednesday. HouseBill 309, sponsored by Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Shively, would include the relatively new product...

- Smokeless Tobacco Can Help You Quit Cigarettes, Owensboro-area Residents Are Told (partly With Tobacco Money)
"Switch and quit" is the theme of an advertising campaign being promoted by a prominent cancer center in Kentucky, in which smokers are advised to lay off the cigarettes in favor of smokeless tobacco such as chew or snuff. "Supporters say smokers who...

- Studies Conclude Cigarette Packaging Misleading, Needs Changes
Tobacco manufacturers have misled consumers about the risks of their products and action is needed to help consumers make informed decisions about the products they intend to buy, three studies published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine...



Health News








.