Senate to vote on FDA power to regulate tobacco
WASHINGTON — 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. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement. Kennedy, now being treated for brain cancer, has long pushed for legislation to give the Food and Drug Administration legal authority to regulate how cigarettes and other tobacco products are made and sold to some 40 million smokers.
Supporters see the bill as a milestone in the anti-smoking effort comparable to the 1964 surgeon general’s warning that smoking causes lung cancer, the 1990 banning of smoking on planes and the 1998 settlement in which the tobacco industry pledged the states $206 billion to help fund anti-tobacco campaigns.
“This moment has been coming for 20 years,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat. “We’re going to be able to protect millions of children and Americans from deadly tobacco-related disease.”
The House already passed a similar bill, and resolution of relatively minor differences would send it to President Barack Obama. Unlike former President George W. Bush, who fought previous FDA regulation bills, Obama supports it.
Congress has been trying to exert government controls over tobacco, one of the few consumable products not regulated by the FDA, for more than a decade. That effort became more imperative after the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling in 2000, ruled that the FDA did not have the authority to oversee tobacco products under current law.
The bill would allow the FDA to require changes to nicotine yields and other chemicals in cigarettes and other tobacco products, although it could not ban nicotine. It would require tobacco companies to provide detailed lists of ingredients and any changes in those ingredients.
The bill would ban the use of expressions such as “light” and “mild” that might mislead people into thinking there was less health risk in the product.
The FDA also would have the power to restrict tobacco marketing; require pre-market approval of all new tobacco products; ban candied or flavored tobacco products that anti-smoking groups see as a way to entice young people into smoking; limit ads in publications with significant teen readership; and impose stronger warning labels on cigarette packages.
A new FDA office would be financed through a user fee paid by tobacco companies, based on their share of the market. Earlier this year, Congress raised the federal cigarette tax, by 62 cents to $1.01, to help pay for expansion of a federal health program for children.
Opponents, led by Republican Sen. Richard Burr of the tobacco-growing state of North Carolina, argued that the FDA, which is in charge of ensuring the safety of food and drug products, was the wrong place to regulate an item that is injurious to health. Burr also contended that the bill would restrict tobacco companies, including several based in his state, from developing new products that might be less harmful to users. He unsuccessfully proposed the creation of a new agency that would both regulate tobacco products and encourage efforts to make cigarettes less harmful.
Anti-smoking groups, however, predicted the legislation could have a real effect in cutting into the 3,500 young people who smoke cigarettes for the first time every day, the 40 million Americans who smoke and the $100 billion in annual health care costs related to treatment of tobacco-related illnesses.
Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the country, with some 400,000 a year dying from tobacco-related diseases.
Some 87 percent of all lung cancer cases are attributable to smoking, said Dr. Douglas W. Blayney, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. “To reverse this trend, the FDA must be able to step in and regulate these deadly products,” he said.
The bill is H.R. 1256.
On the Net:
Congress: thomas.loc.gov
Related News
Clove and tobacco importer sues FDA seeking judgment preventing a ban on flavored 'cigars'September 30th, 2009 Clove and tobacco importer sues FDA to prevent banWASHINGTON — The top distributor of clove-flavored tobacco products in the U.S. is asking a federal court to decide whether its new filtered cigars fall under a new federal ban on flavored cigarettes.
Altria Group chief executive promises to keep offering products consumers enjoy under new regsJuly 22nd, 2009 On the Call: Altria Group CEO Michael SzymanczykNew federal legislation allowing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce nicotine in tobacco products, ban candy flavorings and block labels such "low tar" and "light" is expected to hurt Philip Morris USA least among tobacco companies because tighter regulations could cement its position as market leader.
No ifs, ands or butts: Obama to sign anti-smoking bill giving FDA authority over tobaccoJune 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.
Congress sends White House bill giving gov't regulators unprecedented authority over tobaccoJune 12th, 2009 Congress sends Obama bill to regulate tobaccoWASHINGTON — 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.
Senate Roll Call: How the Senate voted on tobacco billJune 12th, 2009 Roll Call: How the Senate voted on tobacco billThe 79-17 roll call on Thursday by which the Senate voted to give the government extensive new powers to regulate how tobacco companies will make and market their products. On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote to support the bill and a "no" vote was a vote against it.
Obama: Bill allowing greater regulation of tobacco defines true change in WashingtonJune 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.
Senate votes to give FDA broad powers to regulate, change tobacco productsJune 11th, 2009 Senate votes to give FDA power to regulate tobaccoWASHINGTON — The Senate has voted to give the government extensive new powers to decide how tobacco companies will make and market their products. Supporters say that could spare millions from smoking addiction and premature death.
Historic anti-smoking vote would give regulators more say over nicotine content, cigarette adsJune 11th, 2009 Historic anti-smoking vote to give FDA new powerWASHINGTON — Congress struck the government's strongest anti-smoking blow in decades Thursday with a Senate vote to give regulators new power to limit nicotine in cigarettes, drastically curtail ads and ban candied tobacco products aimed at young people. Cigarette foes say the changes could cut into the 400,000 deaths every year caused by smoking and reduce the $100 billion in annual health care costs linked to tobacco.
Main provisions of bill giving FDA powers over tobacco productsJune 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.
Senate bill takes aim at dissolvable tobacco; critics call smoke-free product 'tobacco candy'June 10th, 2009 Senate bill takes aim at 'tobacco candy'WASHINGTON — They're the newest smoke-free tobacco products — dissolvable pellets or strips that don't require users to chew or even spit. Sold in shiny plastic cases, the products melt in your mouth like breath mints.
Addiction and death: Regulating tobacco products is a personal issue for many senatorsJune 10th, 2009 For many senators, tobacco bill is personalWASHINGTON — Sen. Dick Durbin was just 10 or 11 when he and his cousin Mike sneaked out behind a garage in East St.
Bill giving FDA controls over tobacco products advances in SenateJune 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.
Bill to regulate tobacco products a sharp departure for industry-friendly CongressJune 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.
Bill giving FDA controls over tobacco advances in SenateJune 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.
US House approves new controls on tobaccoApril 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.
Loading ...