House Bill Gives FDA Power Over Tobacco

The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the advertising and sale of tobacco products in the United States.

The bill would give the FDA the authority to require the posting of larger warning labels on tobacco products.

The measure passed by a vote of 298-112. Only eight Democrats voted against the bill; a majority of Republicans opposed it.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which now moves to the Senate for further consideration, would allow the FDA to restrict the marketing of tobacco and ban candy-flavored cigarettes. It would also allow the agency to regulate nicotine and other ingredient levels, as well as force greater disclosure of the contents of tobacco products.

Among other things, it would give the FDA the authority to require the posting of larger warning labels on cigarette cartons and other tobacco products. Tobacco companies could be barred from running ads implying, critics say, that "mild" or "low-tar" cigarettes are less harmful.

"This legislation is a major victory for those of us who prize the health of this nation over the profits of tobacco companies," J. Randall Curtis, the incoming head of the American Thoracic Society, said in a written statement. Read the entire article.