FDA放弃争取香烟警示图标之战

由于遭到烟草行业的强烈反对并且两家法院判定其不得一意孤行，美国食品药品管理局(FDA)决定放弃在香烟包装上加入警示图标(以照片为主)的提议。不过FDA表示，将在满足法院提出的任何规定都不得侵犯烟草公司言论自由权(第一修正案)这一要求的同时，继续探索新的添加警示标识的方法，以减少吸烟所致的死亡。2009年《烟草控制法案》要求FDA使用新的警示标识。

警示图标最初于2011年面世，用于放在所有的香烟包装上，其中包括恐怖照片，比如死于吸烟相关性原因的男子的尸体、病变的肺部及腐烂的牙齿等。其他国家也使用类似的警示标识。

一些烟草生产商起诉当局，请求其撤销使用这些标识的要求，两家法院——包括最近的美国哥伦比亚特区联邦巡回上诉法院——均站在了生产商一方，司法部则倾向于不将此案上诉到美国最高法院。而美国癌症学会(ACS)的支持方——ACS癌症行动网则敦促FDA赶快行动，设计出新的警示图。总裁Chris Hansen在一份声明中指出，“当前的警示标识已经原封不动地使用了25年，被普遍视为无效，这种警示被多用一天，国民的健康就会再受一天的危害。”

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By: JANE ANDERSON, Cardiology News Digital Network

The Food and Drug Administration, facing virulent opposition from the tobacco industry as well as two court decisions that didn’t go its way, has decided to drop its proposals to include graphic, photo-based warning labels on cigarette packs.
 
Instead, the FDA said it will research new ways to craft warning labels that can reduce tobacco deaths, while still satisfying the courts’ requirements that any regulations not infringe upon tobacco companies’ First Amendment right to free speech. The 2009 Tobacco Control Act requires the FDA to implement new warning labels.

The graphic warning labels, first unveiled in 2011 and intended for placement on all cigarette packages, included disturbing photos such as the corpse of a man who died of tobacco-related causes, disease-riddled lungs, and rotting teeth. Other countries use similar warning labels.

A group of tobacco manufacturers sued the agency to overturn the requirement to use the labels, and two courts – most recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit – sided with the manufacturers. The Justice Department elected not to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the ACS’ advocacy arm, urged the FDA to work quickly to develop new graphic warnings. "The current warning labels have not been changed in 25 years and are widely considered to be ineffective," group president Chris Hansen said in a statement. "Every day that the current warnings remain in place is another day in which ... the health of the nation is compromised."