Massachusetts health officials developing a campaign that would force retailers to prominently display graphic warnings about the dangers of smoking said they will closely monitor a lawsuit filed by tobacco companies to remove similar posters from New York City stores. A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Jennifer Manley, said the agency intends to proceed with public hearings about its proposal and remains committed ... Jump to full article >>

The three biggest tobacco companies in the U.S. have joined two groups representing New York City merchants to challenge a resolution by the New York City Board of Health forcing stores to place graphic anti- tobacco campaign signs where tobacco products are offered. Altria Group (MO) subsidiary Philip Morris USA Inc., Lorillard Inc. (LO), and Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) unit R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. are involved in the lawsuit with two indivi ... Jump to full article >>

Cigarettes never scared Li Wenbin. But when he saw a pack of Triple-Fives from Thailand, the two-pack-a-dayer recoiled in disgust. A picture of blackened cancerous lungs appeared ominously over the words “Smoking Kills” on the imported packs. Such graphic warnings remain absent from Chinese cigarette packs, despite the rising number of smokers in the country. This trend runs counter to a global drop-off in cigarette consumption and r ... Jump to full article >>

Most of the nation’s largest tobacco companies have sued to stop a federal law which curtails their marketing and forces them to print graphic warnings on their packages. (NYTimes, 9/1/09) The companies are insisting on their right to communicate truthful information about their products to adults who have the right to receive such information. It is the industry’s desire to protect its right to speak the “truth” under th ... Jump to full article >>