--- title: Cigarettes Have to Be Labeled 'Deadly' and 'Addictive' Now description: A recent court order requires tobacco companies to detail cigarettes' deadly health effects and the addictiveness of smoking canonical: https://time.com/5312775/cigarette-warning-deadly/ author: Alejandro de la Garza article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-18T10:00:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:34:53.851Z article:section: Health og:title: Cigarettes Have to Be Labeled 'Deadly' Now. Here's Why og:description: A court order requires tobacco companies to state the dangers of smoking og:url: https://time.com/5312775/cigarette-warning-deadly/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c5ad24e4b5e6a54/6989334886f68e0dcb6e9711/cigarettes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Cigarettes randomly piled in a large heap og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Cigarettes Have to Be Labeled 'Deadly' Now. Here's Why twitter:description: A court order requires tobacco companies to state the dangers of smoking twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c5ad24e4b5e6a54/6989334886f68e0dcb6e9711/cigarettes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Cigarettes Have to Be Labeled 'Deadly' Now. Here's Why  by [Alejandro de la Garza](https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/)  ## Alejandro de la Garza Jun 18, 2018 10:00 AM UTC  A lot of cigarettes. A lot of cigarettes.Getty Images  by [Alejandro de la Garza](https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/)  ## Alejandro de la Garza Jun 18, 2018 10:00 AM UTC A new rule requiring tobacco companies to describe their products as “deadly” and “addictive” on their websites went into effect Monday — and more regulations are coming. Tobacco companies including Altria, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard, and Philip Morris USA were [ordered to issue “corrective statements” online by June 18](https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/content/what%5Fwe%5Fdo/industry%5Fwatch/doj/corrective%5Fstatements/2017%5F10%5Fcorrective%5Fstatements.pdf) following a federal court ruling last month. The statements have to describe five topics including the [deadly health effects of smoking](http://time.com/4853103/smoking-in-movies-teens-cdc/), the addictiveness of nicotine and the lack of any significant health benefits from smoking low-tar cigarettes. They also have to [explain the serious health risks](http://time.com/4024822/ecigs-gateway-tobacco/) linked to exposure to secondhand smoke, as well as tobacco companies’ documented efforts to change the design and chemical blend of cigarettes in order to increase [the amount of nicotine](http://time.com/5201311/fda-lower-nicotine-cigarettes/) that users inhale — making them more addictive. Those companies also have to add similar warnings on cigarette packages by November 21. The ordered “corrective statements” follow [U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler’s watershed 2006 ruling](http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/topics/tobacco-control/tobacco-control-litigation/united-states-v-philip-morris-doj-lawsuit), which stated tobacco companies had “violated civil racketeering laws and lied to the American public for decades about the health effects of smoking and their marketing to kids.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5312775/cigarette-warning-deadly/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5312775/cigarette-warning-deadly/"},"headline":"Cigarettes Have to Be Labeled 'Deadly' Now. 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