Is there a federal law that governs the print advertising of cigarettes?
Yes. There are two statutes that regulate the print advertising of cigarettes, the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1331 et seq. and the Comprehensive Smokers Tobacco Health Education Act, 15 U.S.C. § 4401 et seq. The Cigarette Labeling Act makes it unlawful for any manufacturer or importer of cigarettes to advertise or cause to be advertised within the United States any cigarette unless the advertising bears one of four Surgeon General’s warnings. Q: What about ads placed by local merchants, not cigarette manufacturers? A: The restrictions would apply if the local merchant was engaged in cooperative advertising with a cigarette manufacturer, but they would not apply to merely local advertising. If a local store wants to offer discounts on packs of cigarettes, then the warnings are not required if there is no cigarette manufacturer participation in the communication. Since a newspaper cannot know for sure if a cigarette manufacturer is involved, a good rule of thumb
