President Obama to sign a bill into law on Monday that hands tobacco oversight to the FDA

October 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Amid all the controversy and apprehensions that President Barack Obama may ask for a review of the Kerry Lugar Bill, the White House has made it clear that the President would sign the bill into law. "The President will sign the legislation.

August 31st, 2009 R.J. Reynolds sues over new tobacco lawWINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — R.J. Reynolds, seller of Camel cigarettes, and some other tobacco makers have filed a lawsuit saying their free-speech rights have been violated by a new tobacco law.

August 11th, 2009 Judge to Ohio: Hands off tobacco moneyCOLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge has permanently barred Ohio authorities from spending roughly $250 million in anti-tobacco funds on other programs and balancing the state budget. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Fais issued the permanent injunction Tuesday.

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 22nd, 2009 Obama to sign anti-smoking bill in Rose GardenWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is set to sign into law an anti-smoking bill that will give the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco. Obama is scheduled to sign the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act during an event Monday in the Rose Garden.

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 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 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has revealed that tobacco manufacturers have continually changed the design and ingredients of their cigarettes over time, and that such changes have exceeded acceptable product variance guidelines. The researchers say that consumers who buy the same brand of product are not made aware of the alterations, and how they might affect their levels of addiction or harm.

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 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 Bill gives FDA controls over tobacco advancesWASHINGTON — A key Senate vote Monday put Congress in sight of fulfilling a decade-old quest to put the content and marketing of tobacco products under the control of the federal government. The legislation would for the first time give the Food and Drug Administration legal authority to regulate cigarettes and other 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 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.