Tobacco Control: Comparing U.S. & Australian Labeling Regulations

Tobacco regulation is rapidly evolving. Ongoing tobacco control litigation in both the U.S. and Australia illustrates current legal challenges to global tobacco regulations. In Australia, brand logos, colors, and imagery will be banned from all cigarette packages sold in Australia; instead, all packages will be a standard drab color with a standard typeface; and health warnings with graphic images of mouth ulcers, cancerous lungs and gangrenous limbs

will dominate the front and back of all packs. Tobacco litigation has also been ongoing in the United States, surrounding a new federal requirement that would force tobacco companies to put large graphic images on cigarette packages sold in the U.S., as is already required in more than fifty countries.