Signs describing tobacco health risks required to be in stores that sell cigarettes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As of this week, you may start to notice signs warning about the dangers of smoking in stores that sell cigarettes.

The signs with what’s known as corrective statements will appear in around 220,000 stores around the country.

The signs include messages such as: “Smoking kills, on average, 1,200 Americans. Every day.”

“These signs are particularly important because of where they appear,” said Dennis Henigan, Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “They appear right at the point where people will be making the decision to buy their next pack of cigarettes or next carton of cigarettes. They will appear right at the point where kids may be thinking about buying their first pack of cigarettes.”

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It stems from a 1999 lawsuit the U.S. Justice Department filed against Big Tobacco.

The landmark ruling from that case issued in 2006 found the tobacco industry was guilty of deceiving the public about the dangers of smoking cigarettes and second-hand smoke.

As part of the terms, the signs must be placed in stores between July 1 and September 30 of this year and have to stay up until at least June 30, 2025.

“This is part of a package of remedies all designed to counter the deceit engaged in by these companies for so many years and continually educate the American people about the danger from these products,” said Henigan.

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The court order makes sure tobacco companies and stores are compliant through audits.

In response to the rule, tobacco giant Altria said: “This is one of the final steps to close a long-running lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Justice. Altria is focused on Moving Beyond Smoking and transitioning adult tobacco consumers 21+ to potentially less harmful products.”

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