FTC Approves Warning Plan for Cigarettes

The Federal Trade Commission approved Wednesday an industry plan to rotate the four new warnings that will appear on cigarette packages and advertising beginning in October. Congress, which ordered the new warnings, had directed the cigarette makers to submit a plan to the FTC for rotation of the messages.

Under the system, each brand will be assigned a rotation of the four warnings, to be changed quarterly depending on the date the cigarettes were manufactured or packaged. The rotations will differ from brand to brand.

In addition, a warning rotation system will also exist for various advertising media, also to be changed quarterly.

The system will keep all four warnings before the public at all times, FTC officials said, because the warnings will differ from brand to brand and from one advertising medium to another at any given time.

The four new cigarette warnings, each to be preceded by the phrase “Surgeon General’s Warning:” are:

- “Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy.”

- “Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health.”

- “Smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth and low birth weight.”

- “Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide.”