Sugar Case Hearing Could Affect Public Health Efforts

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is at the intersection of the First Amendment and public health with American Beverage Association v. City and County of San Francisco. A San Francisco ordinance would require a black box health warning to cover 20 percent of the surface area for every billboard or other large outdoor advertisement of sugar-sweetened beverages. Plaintiffs claim a black box health warning would mislead consumers and chill free speech.