Tobacco Documents Online

PBBe 57 N T®0033058 I CovRIER-.10UR1aAI. Louleville, Kentucky June 26, 1964 Gi. • ~ar;I..;- 1rT~~~~er5 Still lhwe Time For liefutation L ABELLfN'G CIt~ARETTES and cigarette advertising to warn that "cigarette smoking is dangerous to health and may cause deaffi frotn cancer and other diseases" has b.•cn nrdered by the Federal Trade Commis.uoo. effectivc next year. The dictum t, uirviously ]ust and fair, in view of the ominou„ eviden.e that has been accumulated by the United States Public Health. Service under direction of Surgeon General Terry. Whether the rulinrt. no matter how just and fair. is also lawful is. a question which will be. contested in the courts for three 'or four years. Thus, labelling is not an immediale prcispect. It will be resisled. not only In the courts but in the forum of public opinion. by the cigarette manufacturers and the farmers and politicians of Kentucky and other tobaccoo- growing states. The legality and w6dom of governmental intetvention are not the orly Issues being raised. It is not even certain that labelling would have much effecL Aftcr all, cigarette smoking haw been under suspicion in this country since the beginning of the century. Cigarettes have been accused of causing nearly everything from baldness to Insanity. YetL especially since World War 1. smoking has become steadily more pop• ular and has spread from men to t<omen, even though smoking by a woman was once considered a sign of tmmorality. Other complications are numerous. The government will be accused of using its right hand to discourage cigarette usors with• out lelting the left hand know that. the tobacco grower is being at the same time encouragcd by the farm prngram. More then this, controversy arises in 1Vashington over which bureau Fas au• thority to require labelling, or whether only Congress has that power. Dr. Terry believes that the authority rests with the Food and Drug Administration In the Department of Health. 8duca'tion and Wolfare, of which the Public Health Service is a part. Hut the F'etteral Trade Commission has claimed the authority and is proposing to exercise It. Nevertheless, nevetr before bas the scien• ttfic case against the cigarette been' so powerful and persttasive. The F.T.C.'s de• ch,ion is not sudden, nor Is the execution or It.e order lo he expected overnight. IP the decision lacks conclusive scientifie sup- port, then the oppo.,ition is not without lime for more laboratory work. PDST-DISPATf:S St. Lou3s, Miseouri June 26, 1964 The Cigareue Riiedia.g In ruling tltat cigarette Iabels and adver• netle emokiag d geeroeahh and m ~ly cause death iiumt lumg cancer aad other dia. sases, the F@desal 7Yade Commission bae setree of public bi~ge aad a high Publlc~Hdalbh Genetal Sertioe whose the bead of the aommittee's report last Jantmpramp tJte actlan, may be right In bebeving the FTC 1arlss tdatubory authotity to istnte the nile, and Cbadxratan Di:on himaelf does not ignore this possibllity. We believe the propm ootnae for a naguiatory $gooey In borderline cases is bo do wbat it tbiuks tteeds to be done, le®ving It to the courts to decide whether it has fhe author4`y and to Congne® to remedy the deft."awy if it does net. - - We expect the Eobaooo coaipasda; to attack the mu4g "pw* eitber in the courts, or by appeal to Congrem for proseriptive leglsW kdon, or both, Whatever the ouioome, this ruling s..Mn the steadfast quWtdr of the oommistion under Paul Rand Dizau. It will, we believe. Istand in the history of regulation of tsafafr and deoeptive taade ptactloes as one of the peektt,