Deseret News archives: American Cancer Society report started the move to health message on smoking
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On June 21, 1954, the American Cancer Society presented a study to the American Medical Association meeting in San Francisco which found that men who regularly smoked cigarettes died at a considerably higher rate than non-smokers.
The news appeared on the front page of the Deseret News that day. But the battle over how to get the message across had just begun.
The U.S. first mandated the use of warning labels stating “Cigarettes may be hazardous to your health” in 1965. And the share of Americans who smoke fell dramatically since then, from nearly 40% to about 20%, but the rate had stalled since about 2004.
In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration announced that cigarette packs in the U.S. would have to carry macabre images that included rotting teeth and gums, diseased lungs and a sewn-up corpse of a smoker as part of a graphic campaign aimed at discouraging Americans from lighting up. As many as 30 other countries use such warnings.
But a lengthy court battle ensued. As in years and years. In March 2024, an appeals court ruled the federal requirement that cigarette packs and advertising include graphic images demonstrating the effects of smoking — including pictures of smoke-damaged lungs and feet blackened by diminished blood flow — does not violate the First Amendment. Stay tuned.
Through the years, FDA warnings have been effective on alcohol, other tobacco products and now social media sites. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives on FDA warnings:
“U.S. surgeon general wants mental health warning label on social media”
“Cigarettes will carry grisly new warning labels”
“Tobacco victim has warning to give”
“A warning about warning labels”
“U.S. makes new push for graphic warning labels on cigarettes”
