15 U.S. Code § 1331 - Congressional declaration of policy and purpose

It is the policy of the Congress, and the purpose of this chapter, to establish a comprehensive Federal Program to deal with cigarette labeling and advertising with respect to any relationship between smoking and health, whereby—

(1) the public may be adequately informed about any adverse health effects of cigarette smoking by inclusion of warning notices on each package of cigarettes and in each advertisement of cigarettes; and

(2) commerce and the national economy may be (A) protected to the maximum extent consistent with this declared policy and (B) not impeded by diverse, nonuniform, and confusing cigarette labeling and advertising regulations with respect to any relationship between smoking and health.

(Pub. L. 89–92, § 2, July 27, 1965, 79 Stat. 282; Pub. L. 91–222, § 2, Apr. 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 87; Pub. L. 98–474, § 6(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2204.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1984—Par. (1). Pub. L. 98–474 substituted “about any adverse health effects of cigarette smoking by inclusion of warning notices on each package of cigarettes and in each advertisement;” for “that cigarette smoking may be hazardous to health by inclusion of a warning to that effect on each package of cigarettes;”.

1970—Pub. L. 91–222 reenacted section without change.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1970 Amendment

Pub. L. 91–222, § 3, Apr. 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 90, provided in part that:

“All other provisions of the amendment made by this Act [enacting section 1340 of this title, amending this section and sections 1332 and 1335 to 1339 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] except where otherwise specified shall take effect on January 1, 1970.”

Effective Date

Pub. L. 89–92, § 12, formerly § 11, July 27, 1965, 79 Stat. 284, as renumbered by Pub. L. 98–474, § 5(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2203, provided that:

“This Act [this chapter] shall take effect on January 1, 1966.”

Short Title of 1984 Amendment

Pub. L. 98–474, § 1, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2200, provided that:

“This Act [enacting sections 1335a and 1341 of this title, amending this section and sections 1332, 1333, 1336, and 1337 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and sections 1333 and 1335a of this title] may be cited as the ‘Comprehensive Smoking Education Act’.”

Short Title of 1973 Amendment

Pub. L. 93–109, § 1, Sept. 21, 1973, 87 Stat. 352, provided:

“That this Act [amending sections 1332 and 1335 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Little Cigar Act of 1973’.”

Short Title of 1970 Amendment

Pub. L. 91–222, § 1, Apr. 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 87, provided:

“That this Act [enacting section 1340 of this title, amending this section and sections 1332 to 1339 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and sections 1333 and 1334 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1969’.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 89–92, § 1, July 27, 1965, 79 Stat. 282, provided:

“This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act’.”

Separability

Pub. L. 89–92, § 13, formerly § 12, as added by Pub. L. 91–222, § 2, Apr. 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 90, and renumbered Pub. L. 98–474, § 5(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2203, provided that:

“If any provision of this Act [this chapter] or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the other provisions of this Act [this chapter] and the application of such provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.”

Congressional Statement of Purpose

Pub. L. 98–474, § 2, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2200, provided that:

“It is the purpose of this Act [see Short Title of 1984 Amendment note above] to provide a new strategy for making Americans more aware of any adverse health effects of smoking, to assure the timely and widespread dissemination of research findings and to enable individuals to make informed decisions about smoking.”