- (a) General rule
- (1) It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, package, or import
for sale or distribution within the United States any smokeless tobacco product unless the product package bears, in accordance with the requirements of this chapter, one of the following labels: "WARNING: THIS PRODUCT MAY CAUSE MOUTH CANCER "WARNING: THIS PRODUCT MAY CAUSE GUM DISEASE AND TOOTH LOSS "WARNING: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO CIGARETTES".
- (2) It shall be unlawful for any manufacturer, packager, or importer of
smokeless tobacco products to advertise or cause to be advertised (other than through the use of outdoor billboard advertising) within the United States any smokeless tobacco product unless the advertising bears, in accordance with the requirements of this chapter, one of the labels required by paragraph (1).
- (b) Label format
The Federal Trade Commission shall issue regulations requiring the label
statement required by subsection (a) of this section to appear -
- (1) in the case of the smokeless tobacco product package -
- (A) in a conspicuous and prominent place on the package, and
- (B) in a conspicuous format and in conspicuous and legible type in contrast
with all other printed material on the package, and
- (2) in the case of advertising subject to subsection (a)(2) of this section -
- (A) in a conspicuous and prominent location in the advertisement and in
conspicuous and legible type in contrast with all other printed material in the advertisement,
- (B) in the following format: Click here to display warning message
- (C) the label statement shall appear in capital letters and the area of the
circle and arrow shall be determined by the Federal Trade Commission.
- (c) Label display
The Federal Trade Commission shall issue regulations requiring each label
statement required by subsection (a) of this section to -
- (1) in the case of a smokeless tobacco product package, be randomly displayed
by each manufacturer, packager, or importer of a smokeless tobacco product in each 12-month period in as equal a number of times as is possible on each brand of the product and be randomly distributed in all parts of the United States in which such product is marketed, and
- (2) in the case of any advertisement of a smokeless tobacco product, be
rotated every 4 months by each manufacturer, packager, or importer of a smokeless tobacco product in an alternating sequence in the advertisement for each brand of the product.
- (d) Plan
- (1) Each manufacturer, packager, or importer of a smokeless tobacco product
shall submit a plan to the Federal Trade Commission which specifies the method such manufacturer, packager, or importer will use to rotate, display, and distribute the statements required by subsection (a) of this section in accordance with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of this section.
- (2) The Federal Trade Commission shall approve a plan submitted by a
manufacturer, packager, or importer of a smokeless tobacco product under paragraph (1) if such plan provides for the rotation, display, and distribution on smokeless tobacco product packages and advertisements of the statements required by subsection (a) of this section in a manner which complies with this section and the regulations promulgated pursuant to this section.
- (e) Application
This section does not apply to a distributor or a retailer of any smokeless
tobacco product which does not manufacture, package, or import smokeless tobacco products for sale or distribution within the United States.
- (f) Television and radio advertising
Effective 6 months after February 27, 1986, it shall be unlawful to advertise
smokeless tobacco on any medium of electronic communications subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission.