The timeline for mandatory graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising has been pushed back to November 2023, reports Convenience Store.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulation that will see graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising has been postponed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The court order pushes back the effective date from 6 October 2023 to 6 November 2023 and also postpones the preferred filing deadline for manufacturers and retailers to submit cigarette health warning rotational plans to the FDA by 31 days, reports Convenience Store.
Manufacturers and retailers that create cigarette advertising must file a plan with the FDA by 6 January 2023 and agree to rotate eleven graphic cigarette health warnings on their advertisements.
The new rules had been discussed and issued by the FDA in March 2020 but have been pushed back several times after tobacco companies asked for an extension.
When in effect, the warnings will be required to appear on the top 50 per cent of the front and back of cigarette packages and at least 20 per cent of the top of ads, according to Convenience Store. Also, the warnings must be displayed randomly and equally on cigarette packaging and rotated quarterly in advertisements.