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Congress sends Obama bill to regulate tobacco
Jim Abrams - The Associated Press
Issue date: 5/11/09 Section: News
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress sent legislation to the White House Friday granting the federal government unprecedented authority to regulate and restrict cigarettes, the single largest cause of preventable death.
President Barack Obama quickly expressed his support, appearing in the Rose Garden almost immediately after the House gave final approval to the bill giving the Food and Drug Administration control over tobacco production, marketing and sales.
For more than a decade, Obama said, leaders in Congress have been trying to prevent the marketing of cigarettes to children "and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is." He said the outcome was "a bill that truly defines change in Washington."
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chief sponsor of the House version, called it "the single most important thing that we can do right now to curb this deadly toll."
More than 400,000 people die every year from tobacco-related diseases, according to government figures. About 45 million U.S. adults are smokers, though the prevalence has fallen since the U.S. surgeon general's warning 45 years ago that tobacco causes lung cancer.
The House, which first passed a similar FDA bill in April, voted 307-97 to endorse the version passed 79-17 by the Senate on Thursday.
The measure puts special emphasis on dissuading some of the 3,500 young people who every day smoke a cigarette for the first time. It prohibits use of candied and flavored cigarettes popular among young people and severely restricts advertisements and promotions targeted toward youth. It bans use of words such as "mild" or "light" that give the impression that the brand is safer. It requires stronger warning labels.
The FDA would also require tobacco companies to reveal the contents of their products and they'd have to seek approval for marketing new products. It gives the FDA power to order changes to ingredients, including tar and nicotine, to protect public health.
President Barack Obama quickly expressed his support, appearing in the Rose Garden almost immediately after the House gave final approval to the bill giving the Food and Drug Administration control over tobacco production, marketing and sales.
For more than a decade, Obama said, leaders in Congress have been trying to prevent the marketing of cigarettes to children "and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is." He said the outcome was "a bill that truly defines change in Washington."
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chief sponsor of the House version, called it "the single most important thing that we can do right now to curb this deadly toll."
More than 400,000 people die every year from tobacco-related diseases, according to government figures. About 45 million U.S. adults are smokers, though the prevalence has fallen since the U.S. surgeon general's warning 45 years ago that tobacco causes lung cancer.
The House, which first passed a similar FDA bill in April, voted 307-97 to endorse the version passed 79-17 by the Senate on Thursday.
The measure puts special emphasis on dissuading some of the 3,500 young people who every day smoke a cigarette for the first time. It prohibits use of candied and flavored cigarettes popular among young people and severely restricts advertisements and promotions targeted toward youth. It bans use of words such as "mild" or "light" that give the impression that the brand is safer. It requires stronger warning labels.
The FDA would also require tobacco companies to reveal the contents of their products and they'd have to seek approval for marketing new products. It gives the FDA power to order changes to ingredients, including tar and nicotine, to protect public health.
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