Supreme Court lets FDA move forward with graphic cigarette warnings

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from the tobacco industry following the March 2012 U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit ruling that upheld most provisions of the 2009 Tobacco Control Act, including the new graphic cigarette warnings. By declining to hear an appeal the Supreme Court has affirmed the lower court’s ruling upholding the 2009 law.

In addition, this ruling upholds key provisions that prohibit tobacco companies from making health claims prior to review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bans forms of marketing that would appeal to children, and prohibits the tobacco industry from implying that their products are safer because they are regulated by the FDA. More information on the Tobacco Control Act can be found through the FDA Center for Tobacco Products.