America’s big tobacco companies will now be required to produce and display signage in stores explaining the risks of smoking, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The order was the last of a set of corrective remedies mandated by a 1999 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit filed by the government.
The 2005 verdict in that trial determined that “cigarette companies had defrauded consumers about the health dangers associated with cigarette smoking,” according to the DOJ announcement.
Now Philip Morris USA Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Altria and the four cigarette firms owned by ITG Brands must display signage at stores warning consumers about the dangers of smoking.