§ 1333. Labeling; requirements; conspicuous statement

• (a) Required warnings; packages; advertisements; billboards
  • (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, package, or import for sale or distribution within the United States any cigarettes the package of which fails to bear, in accordance with the requirements of this section, one of the following labels:

    SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

  • (2) It shall be unlawful for any manufacturer or importer of cigarettes to advertise or cause to be advertised (other than through the use of outdoor billboards) within the United States any cigarette unless the advertising bears, in accordance with the requirements of this section, one of the following labels:

    SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

  • (3) It shall be unlawful for any manufacturer or importer of cigarettes to advertise or cause to be advertised within the United States through the use of outdoor billboards any cigarette unless the advertising bears, in accordance with the requirements of this section, one of the following labels:

    SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, And Emphysema. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Health Risks. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Pregnant Women Who Smoke Risk Fetal Injury And Premature Birth. SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

• (b) Conspicuous statement; label statement format; outdoor billboard statement format
  • (1) Each label statement required by paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section shall be located in the place label statements were placed on cigarette packages as of October 12, 1984. The phrase "Surgeon General's Warning" shall appear in capital letters and the size of all other letters in the label shall be the same as the size of such letters as of October 12, 1984. All the letters in the label shall appear in conspicuous and legible type in contrast by typography, layout, or color with all other printed material on the package.
  • (2) The format of each label statement required by paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section shall be the format required for label statements in cigarette advertising as of October 12, 1984, except that the phrase "Surgeon General's Warning" shall appear in capital letters, the area of the rectangle enclosing the label shall be 50 per centum larger in size with a corresponding increase in the size of the type in the label, the width of the rule forming the border around the label shall be twice that in effect on October 12, 1984, and the label may be placed at a distance from the outer edge of the advertisement which is one-half the distance permitted on October 12, 1984. Each label statement shall appear in conspicuous and legible type in contrast by typography, layout, or color with all other printed material in the advertisement.
  • (3) The format and type style of each label statement required by paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of this section shall be the format and type style required in outdoor billboard advertising as of October 12, 1984. Each such label statement shall be printed in capital letters of the height of the tallest letter in a label statement on outdoor advertising of the same dimension on October 12, 1984. Each such label statement shall be enclosed by a black border which is located within the perimeter of the format required in outdoor billboard advertising of the same dimension on October 12, 1984, and the width of which is twice the width of the vertical element of any letter in the label statement within the border.
• (c) Rotation of label statement; plan; submission to Federal Trade Commission
  • (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the label statements specified in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (a) of this section shall be rotated by each manufacturer or importer of cigarettes quarterly in alternating sequence on packages of each brand of cigarettes manufactured by the manufacturer or importer and in the advertisements for each such brand of cigarettes in accordance with a plan submitted by the manufacturer or importer and approved by the Federal Trade Commission. The Federal Trade Commission shall approve a plan submitted by a manufacturer or importer of cigarettes which will provide the rotation required by this subsection and which assures that all of the labels required by paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) will be displayed by the manufacturer or importer at the same time.
  • (2)(A) A manufacturer or importer of cigarettes may apply to the Federal Trade Commission to have the label rotation described in subparagraph (C) apply with respect to a brand style of cigarettes manufactured or imported by such manufacturer or importer if -
    • (i) the number of cigarettes of such brand style sold in the fiscal year of the manufacturer or importer preceding the submission of the application is less than one-fourth of 1 percent of all the cigarettes sold in the United States in such year, and
    • (ii) more than one-half of the cigarettes manufactured or imported by such manufacturer or importer for sale in the United States are packaged into brand styles which meet the requirements of clause (i). If an application is approved by the Commission, the label rotation described in subparagraph (C) shall apply with respect to the applicant during the one-year period beginning on the date of the application approval.
    • (B) An applicant under subparagraph (A) shall include in its application a plan under which the label statements specified in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section will be rotated by the applicant manufacturer or importer in accordance with the label rotation described in subparagraph (C).
    • (C) Under the label rotation which a manufacturer or importer with an approved application may put into effect each of the labels specified in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section shall appear on the packages of each brand style of cigarettes with respect to which the application was approved an equal number of times within the twelve-month period beginning on the date of the approval by the Commission of the application.
• (d) Application; distributors; retailers

  Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to a distributor or a retailer of cigarettes who does not manufacture, package, or import cigarettes for sale or distribution within the United States.