Primary tabs
Location
CNN: Federal judge blocks anti-smoking images required on tobacco products
The campaign goal: “Every American has access to quality and affordable health care solutions!” Join a community that is well informed on health issues in the news. See the links below and Get Empowered Now.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal mandate requiring tobacco companies to pla
ce graphic images on their products warning of the dangers of smoking was tossed out Wednesday by a judge in Washington, with the judge saying the requirements were a violation of free speech.
"Unfortunately, because Congress did not consider the First Amendment implications of this legislation, it did not concern itself with how the regulations could be narrowly tailored to avoid unintentionally compelling commercial speech," said federal Judge Richard Leon in his 19-page ruling.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act passed in 2009 would have required nine written warnings such as "Cigarettes are addictive" and "Tobacco smoke causes harm to children." Also included would have been alternating images of a corpse and smoke-infected lungs.
Click Here to read the full story.
