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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tobacco companies want a judge to put a stop
to new graphic cigarette labels that include the sewn-up corpse of
a smoker and pictures of diseased lungs, saying they unfairly urge
adults to shun their legal products and will cost millions to
produce.
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Four of the five largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal
government Tuesday, saying the warnings violate their free speech
rights.
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“Never before in the United States have producers of a lawful
product been required to use their own packaging and advertising to
convey an emotionally-charged government message urging adult
consumers to shun their products,” the companies wrote in the
lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington.
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The companies, led by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Lorillard Tobacco
Co., said the warnings no longer simply convey facts to allow
people to make a decision on whether to smoke. They instead force
them to put government anti-smoking advocacy more prominently on
their packs than their own brands, the companies say. They want a
judge to stop the labels.
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The FDA refused to comment, saying the agency does not discuss
pending litigation. But when she announced the new labels in June,
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called them
frank and honest warnings about the dangers of smoking.
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The FDA approved nine new warnings to rotate on cigarette packs.
They will be printed on the entire top half, front and back, of the
packaging. The new warnings also must constitute 20 percent of any
cigarette advertising. They also all include a number for a
stop-smoking hotline.
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One warning label is a picture of a corpse with its chest sewed up
and the words: “Smoking can kill you.” Another label has a picture
of a healthy pair of lungs beside a yellow and black pair with a
warning that smoking causes fatal lung disease.
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The lawsuit said the images were manipulated to be especially
emotional. The tobacco companies said the corpse photo is actually
an actor with a fake scar, while the healthy lungs were sanitized
to make the diseased organ look worse.
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The companies also said the new labels will cost them millions of
dollars for new equipment so they can frequently change from
warning to warning and designers to make sure the labels meet
federal requirements while maintaining some distinction among
brands.
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Joining R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard in the suit are Commonwealth
Brands Inc., Liggett Group LLC and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company
Inc. Altria Group Inc., parent company of the nation’s largest
cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, is not a part of the
lawsuit.
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The free speech lawsuit is a different action than a suit by
several of the same companies over the Family Smoking Prevention
and Tobacco Control Act. The law, which took affect two years ago,
cleared the way for the more graphic warning labels, but also
allowed the FDA to limit nicotine. The law also banned tobacco
companies from sponsoring athletic or social events and prevented
them from giving away free samples or branded
merchandise.
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A federal judge upheld many parts of the law, but the companies are
appealing.
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