Cigarette makers will soon be publishing a series of blunt statements on the health risks of smoking. The move stems from a lawsuit settled years ago with the federal government.
Beginning next month, the court ordered “corrective statements” will start running on television and in newspapers. These specific warnings against the dangers of tobacco include, “Smoking kills, on average, 1,200 Americans every day,” and “Smoking is highly addictive,” among others.
This is a result of the 1999 lawsuit focused on industry conduct dating back to the 1950s. It includes tobacco companies Altria Group Inc. (the Richmond, Virginia-based parent company of Phillip Morris USA), Reynolds American Inc., and several others.
The court order required the tobacco companies to publish five statements in all about cigarette smoking. They'll take the form of 30-second ads on TV, airing once a week for one year, mostly on major networks and during prime time. They'll also run full-page ads in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Additionally, the companies are required to state that they had deceived the public, intentionally designing cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction.