House of Representatives Passes Bill to Give FDA Authority to Regulate Tobacco

by Brian Wolfman

For years, tobacco control advocates have pushed to give the FDA authority to regulate tobacco. Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to do it -- with a veto-proof majority, but it is unclear whether the Senate will do the same. Read the 210-page bill and this Washington Post article about the bill. Here's part of the Post article to give you the gist:

The House approved legislation yesterday that would for the first time empower the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry, a measure long sought by anti-smoking advocates. After about 40 minutes of sometimes passionate debate, the House voted 326 to 102 to approve the measure, which would give the agency broad authority over cigarette makers, including the power to ban marketing of cigarettes to children, require disclosure of tobacco ingredients and mandate larger, more specific health warnings. It would also enable the agency to require tobacco companies to reduce or eliminate harmful ingredients and ban candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes. The White House has signaled that President Bush will veto the legislation if it is approved by the Senate, which may not have a veto-proof majority in support of it.