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Big Tobacco Sues FDA: New Warning Labels Violate Our First Amendment Rights

“Four big cigarette makers sued the Food and Drug Administration, seeking to void as unconstitutional new graphic labels and advertising that warn consumers about the risks of smoking and induce them to quit,” Reuters reports. “The notion that the government can require those who manufacture a lawful product to emblazon half of its package with pictures and words admittedly drafted to persuade the public not to purchase that product cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny,” said Floyd Abrams, a prominent First Amendment specialist representing the cigarette makers, in a statement. Pictures of the new labels that will appear no later than Sept. 22, 2012:

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