Source: Associated Press, 6/22/09
President Barack Obama signed new legislation this month giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act empowers the FDA to lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, ban candy flavorings that appeal to kids, block misleading labels such as “low tar” and “light” and require tobacco companies to cover cartons with large graphic warnings. While the law won’t let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco outright, the agency will be able to regulate what goes into the tobacco products and force companies to reveal all ingredients.
Health advocates, including Breathe California hailed the new law as a long overdue win that will save lives and significantly improve public health. Opponents, however, argued that the FDA had proved through a series of food safety failures that it was nit up to the job of regulation.
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