Tobacco Companies Must Admit to Deception

November 29, 2012

U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler has issued a ruling in the federal lawsuit brought against the tobacco companies in 1999 for lying to the American public, ordering that the companies must admit in corrective statements that “a Federal court has ruled that the Defendant tobacco companies deliberately deceived the American public.”

The companies will now be required to include corrective statements in all of their newspaper and television advertising, on their websites, and on their cigarette packaging. Included in the series of corrective statements are those pertaining to the adverse health effects of smoking and secondhand smoke; the addictiveness of nicotine; the lack of health benefits from smoking “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes; and the companies’ manipulation of cigarette design and composition to ensure optimum nicotine delivery.

"AARC has for decades been a participant in the Tobacco Partners Coalition and supporter of the issues advocated by the Tobacco Free-Kids consumer based coalition, which was a key party to this successful court case,” says AARC Director of Government Affairs Cheryl West. “We all believe the addition of these corrective statements to cigarette packages and advertisements will go a long way to ensuring people know that the tobacco companies do not have their best interests at heart.”

The ruling is the culmination of Judge Kessler’s 2006 decision in the case, which found the tobacco companies guilty of violating civil racketeering laws and engaging in decades-long fraud to deceive the American people about the safety of their products.