ACP: Governmental Affairs and Public Policy - Letter to Federal Trade Commission Requesting the Federal Government Require Cigarette Packages to Carry Prominent Addiction Warnings

Advocacy

Letter to Federal Trade Commission Requesting the Federal Government Require Cigarette Packages to Carry Prominent Addiction Warnings

July 14, 2004

Honorable Timothy J. Muris
Chairman
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20580

Dear Chairman Muris:

On behalf of the American College of Physicians (ACP), representing more than 116,000 doctors of internal medicine and medical students, and the nation's largest medical specialty society, I am writing to request that the federal government take a leadership role in requiring that cigarette packages carry prominent addiction warnings in addition to existing health warnings. In order to be effective, ACP believes that warning labels should take up at least half of the package surface of cigarettes.

As you undoubtedly know, tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of premature death and disease in the world today. In the U.S. alone, cigarette smoking contributes to the deaths of 400,000 Americans a year who smoke, and 50,000 a year more from second hand smoke. Furthermore, smoking has been linked to at least 1/3 of all cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and it is the number one cause of lung cancer among both men and women. Cigarettes are also very addictive due to their high levels of nicotine, which causes a cycle of stimulation and depression. Since the body is able to build up a high tolerance to nicotine, smokers gradually smoke more and more to reach the same "high." Every day 6,000 young people smoke their first cigarette, with nearly 2,000 becoming addicted, daily smokers.

Surprisingly, this highly addictive and dangerous product has continued to escape even the most basic federal oversight. Unlike any other product consumed by Americans, tobacco companies are not required to test additives for safety purposes, inform consumers what is in their products, or take any action to make their products less harmful or less addictive when it is possible to do so. Meanwhile, every year, the federal government spends an estimated $38 billion on services attributable to tobacco-related illnesses, while states spend an estimated $7.3 billion on Medicaid services for tobacco-related illnesses. While the ACP would like to see complete federal regulation over tobacco products, requiring that cigarette packages carry prominent addiction and health warnings is an inexpensive and important first step in educating our nation about the dangers of smoking. Labels help create informed consent between the tobacco companies and their customers. Labels also minimize the ability of cigarette companies to manipulate levels of nicotine in cigarettes to ensure that smokers become addicted.

Numerous studies have found that to be effective, warnings must occupy more than 25% of the top of the front and back of a package. Health warnings on tobacco packages in the U.S. are currently required to take up only 20 percent of the package and are placed on the side of the package. Canada recently approved regulations which require that dramatic anti-smoking labels cover the top half of the fronts and backs of packages (i.e., 50% of the package). The labels feature a text warning along with a graphic or photo emphasizing the dangers of smoking. Similar legislation has been introduced in Congress, but opponents of the bills have delayed action on them. We are therefore urging you to promulgate regulations that require that warning labels take up at least half of the package surface of cigarettes in order to be easily noticed by consumers.

Requiring that cigarette packages carry prominent addiction and health warnings will finally give the public access to information the tobacco industry has on the health effects and addictiveness of their products-information that has been withheld from the public for far too long. The result will be a more informed consumer and a decrease in the number of people choosing to smoke. We look forward to working with the FTC to reduce the number of smokers in the U.S. and on any additional initiatives related to tobacco regulation and smoking cessation.

Sincerely,

Charles K. Francis, MD, FACP
President