No ifs, ands or butts: Obama to sign anti-smoking bill giving FDA authority over tobacco

June 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - While President Barack Obama continues to struggle with his addiction to cigarettes; he has signed the tobacco regulation measure into law for the cause of health care reform. Calling it "a victory for bipartisanship" and "a victory for health care reform," President Obama signed the law this afternoon during a Rose Garden ceremony attended by anti-smoking groups and members of Congress.

June 23rd, 2009 Obama admits occasional cigaretteWASHINGTON — One day after signing legislation giving the government unprecedented power to regulate tobacco, President Barack Obama is admitting that he's sometimes "fallen off the wagon" in his own effort to stop smoking. Obama told reporters Tuesday that he's "95 percent cured." But he added that "there are times where I mess up." He said he's not a "daily" or "constant" smoker, and that he doesn't smoke in front of his kids.

June 22nd, 2009 Obama lauds anti-smoking billWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed the strongest anti-smoking measure ever, calling it an extraordinary accomplishment that will help keep children from getting hooked on cigarettes. Standing in the Rose Garden with a number of lawmakers and other guests, Obama declared: "It is a law that will save American lives." The legislation gives the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco and cigarette marketing.

June 22nd, 2009 A look at FDA-tobacco legislationWASHINGTON — A look at legislation President Barack Obama signed into law Monday that gives the Food and Drug Administration regulatory controls over tobacco products. Q. What is the main objective of the legislation? A.

June 22nd, 2009 Obama signs strongest anti-smoking measure everWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed the strongest anti-smoking measure ever, calling it an extraordinary accomplishment that will help keep children from getting hooked on cigarettes. Standing in the Rose Garden with a number of lawmakers and other guests, Obama declared: "It is a law that will save American lives." The legislation gives the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco and cigarette marketing.

June 22nd, 2009 Obama signs anti-smoking bill, cites own struggleWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama cited his own long struggle to quit the cigarettes he got hooked on as a teenager as he signed the nation's strongest-ever anti-smoking bill Monday and praised it for providing critically needed protections for kids. "The decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful effects of tobacco has emerged victorious," Obama said at a signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

June 22nd, 2009 Obama to sign tobacco bill on MondayWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is to sign the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The law allows the Food and Drug Administration to reduce nicotine in tobacco products, ban candy flavorings and block labels such as "low tar" and "light." The bill, to be signed Monday during a Rose Garden event, also requires tobacco companies to cover their cartons with large graphic warnings and reveal what chemicals they put into their products.

June 13th, 2009 Obama pledges to quickly sign anti-smoking billWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is lauding the passage of historic anti-smoking legislation that gives the government sweeping authority to regulate tobacco products, pledging to quickly sign the measure into law. "For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is," said Obama, who has struggled for years to kick his own nicotine habit.

June 12th, 2009 Obama: Tobacco bill 'defines change' in WashingtonWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says a bill giving the government much greater power to regulate tobacco "truly defines change in Washington." The president spoke in the Rose Garden just minutes after the House passed the bill overwhelmingly. The Senate approved the legislation on Thursday.

June 11th, 2009 Senate to vote on FDA power to regulate tobaccoWASHINGTON — The Senate votes Thursday on legislation that for the first time would give the government control over the production and marketing of tobacco products, a long-sought goal that supporters say could save lives and millions in health care dollars. "It is a lifesaving act for the millions of children who will be spared a lifetime of addiction and premature death," Sen.

June 11th, 2009 Main provisions of FDA tobacco legislationMain provisions of legislation giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products: — Creates a tobacco control center within the FDA and gives the FDA authority to regulate the content, marketing and sale of tobacco products to protect public health. — Requires tobacco companies and importers to reveal all product ingredients and seek FDA approval for any new tobacco products.

June 9th, 2009 Senate rejects challenge to FDA tobacco billWASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday rejected the main challenge to legislation giving the Food and Drug Administration sweeping controls over tobacco products, easing the way for passage of the measure this week. The alternative was offered by the two senators from North Carolina, the nation's biggest tobacco grower.

June 4th, 2009 Tobacco bill a sharp change for lawmakersWASHINGTON — In the half-century since the surgeon general issued his culture-changing report linking smoking to lung cancer, the tobacco industry has had little trouble defeating efforts to regulate cigarettes and other products. That could change this year.

June 2nd, 2009 Senate advances bill to regulate tobaccoWASHINGTON — The Senate took a step Tuesday toward giving the government some controls over the tobacco industry, bolstering the chances that a long-sought goal of anti-smoking advocates will finally be realized. The 84-11 Senate vote to consider the bill came a month after the House overwhelmingly passed a similar measure giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products.

April 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives Thursday approved tougher anti-smoking controls in the US, for the first time granting a government agency the power to regulate tobacco products. The House voted 298-112 to hand the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) control over advertising and even the contents of cigarettes, though it does not allow the agency to ban tobacco outright.