Last but not least: No shock photos on US cigarette packets
On Monday, a U.S. judge blocked the tobacco industry's planned requirement to print warning photos on cigarette packs. The reason: The proposed images were considered small-format advertisements for an open anti-smoking campaign by the U.S. government.
This was decided by Judge Richard Leon. A lawsuit was filed in August against the new regulation, which came into force in September 2012. The plaintiffs were four tobacco companies who believe that the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the first article of the US Constitution has been violated.
Leon's ruling temporarily suspended the obligation to publish the photos pending a decision in the proceedings on the constitutionality of the regulations. In doing so, he pointed out that it had already been criticized in other proceedings that the images violated consumers' right to protection from forced advertising messages.
Cigarette packs in the USA are to be printed on both sides with photos that illustrate the harmful effects of smoking. Up to now, they have only featured warnings in text form.
