by Grace H. on Friday, December 7, 2012
Recently U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler issued a decision ordering the tobacco industry to publish corrective statements that the industry lied about smoking’s health effects. The decision also requires the tobacco industry to fully disclose the dangers of smoking in advertisements and packaging.
The tobacco industry’s continuous deception has misled the public about the health implications of smoking for far too long. This deceptive marketing has included false claims about ‘light’ or ‘low-tar’ cigarettes. Judge Kessler’s decision will finally require that the industry own up to their misdeeds. Along with deceptive marketing tactics, the industry spent over $50 million to defeat our recent effort to increase the tobacco tax in California.
The decision corrects a long-standing history of tobacco industry deception, and will have an immediate impact on tobacco use across all ages. The advent of corrective statements and our renewed tobacco tax efforts, gives our volunteers and survivors a real chance to save lives.
- Lindsay Williams, Grassroots Advocacy Director