Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels Now OK, Says Federal Appeals Court

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March 19, 2012

Tobacco: Health officials now can require graphic warnings on cigarette labels after a federal appeals court judge upheld a federal law that previously had been struck down by a lower court, Brett Barrouquere reports for the Associated Press. The decision, while hailed by public health advocates, is likely to be appealed and could come before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Health Reform: As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on the 2010 health reform law, here's a handy Washington Post graphic that spells out the issues before the court, from the individual mandate to health care exchanges. Calvin Woodward examines why Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are avoiding public discussion of the reforms they championed.

Cancer Clusters: Kevin P. Craver of the Northwest Herald (Ill.) examines the long history of suspected brain cancer clusters in the McCullom Lake community and asks why the local health department is keeping quiet updates to its 2006 epidemiological study finding no link between the brain cancers and pollution from nearby chemical manufacturers.

Heal Thyself: A Stanford geneticist has taken the Quantified Self model to extremes, publishing with his colleagues an extraordinary profile of the links between his DNA and biochemistry as he developed Type 2 diabetes and endured two viral infections, Jon Cohen reports for Science.

Medicaid: Florida may be trying to crack down on "pill mills" dispensing addictive oxycodone, but the state's Medicaid program in two years paid for more than 49 million doses of pills containing oxycodone – even though only 1.36 million Florida adults are Medicaid recipients, Pat Beall reports for the Palm Beach Post Staff

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