No Smoking: Congress Poised to Pass FDA Regulation for Big Tobacco
EmailABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf and Brian Hartman report: The writing is on the wall – even North Carolina has a smoking ban.
And now Congress wants in on the action. The Senate is poised, after more than a decade of attempts, to pass legislation that would regulate tobacco in the same way the government regulates everything else you put in your body – from Froot Loops to Aspirin.
If you want to compare the ingredients in your breakfast cereal to the ingredients in your cigarettes, you may soon be able to.
Senators voted 84 to 11 this morning to break a filibuster and consider the legislation.
If passed by the Senate as expected, the bill would give the federal government the power to regulate cigarette ingredients, to ban the marketing of “light cigarettes” and to require graphic warning labels.
Most of the tobacco industry has opposed the bill with the notable exception of the giant Altria, which is taking an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach. (Some complain they’ve managed to water down the bill.)
Meanwhile, Big Tobacco has been readying itself for a tougher US regulatory environment by expanding its overseas marketing and developing new smokeless products.
A similar bill already has passed the House. So Senate endorsement of increased tobacco regulation would be a big deal.
And it’s worth noting the nation is now headed by a (supposedly) ex-smoking president.
“We have tried for ten years and we have failed,” said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-CT, in a speech on the Senate floor opening debate on the bill. “Think what kind of a difference we could have made. How many lives we would have saved if we passed this ten years ago.”
A final vote could come later this week. Whatever passes the Senate would still have to pass the House, which has already passed a different version of the bill.
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This bill as BAD for public health. The first approach, known as the Kennedy-Waxman bill, will give the beleaguered Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco. On its face, this is a good thing. After all, cigarettes are the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
But the devil is in the details. First of all, the Kennedy-Waxman bill, named after its sponsors Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., was in fact written by Altria (nyse: MO – news – people ) (which was formerly Philip Morris) and an activist group, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CFTFK).
The bill has numerous provisions that, from a public health perspective, actually make matters worse, rather than better.
For instance, the bill will make it virtually impossible for companies to promote less harmful forms of tobacco.
Posted by: Jeff Stier | June 2, 2009, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm
This bill is several decades overdue. While Congress and both political parties were in bed with Big Tobacco, millions of Americans died as a result of their addiction to tobacco. Tobacco companies have been convicted in federal court on racketeering charges- for deceiving the public about the health risk of tobacco, including secondhand smoke, and for targeting children as “replacement smokers.” This bill has widespread support in the public health community, including the American Cancer Soceity, the American Lung Association, the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association, and a host of other groups. Unfortunately, contrary to the implications of this article, there is as yet no legislation that will protect all Americans at work and in public from the scientifically known dangers of secondhand smoke. This should be the next piece of tobacco-control legislation that Congress takes up.
Posted by: Carson O. Jenik | June 2, 2009, 1:11 pm 1:11 pm
Once again, the hypocrisy of government running amok!
Why did these fools and this foolish short-sighted President pass & sign SCHIP?????
I think we all agree the less smoking the better for the health of the nation, BUT Dems & Obama WANT people to smoke! Why else would you fund childrens healthcare with a tax increase on tobacco?
Would not a better approach to have been to tax tobacco for programs to help smokers? Then as the need decreased, so would the funds! Alas, that is common sense and has no place in the liberal playbook.
Again I say….
WHY WOULD ANY SANE PERSON WANT THE GOVT TO RUN UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE?
They can’t even make up their own minds what side of the smoking fence they want to be on!
Posted by: Mike_C | June 2, 2009, 1:20 pm 1:20 pm
So interested to see how discouraging smokers from smoking will assist in funding the free health care for children DC has been feverish about…you know it’s worth mentioning since it was suppose to be funded at the expense of smokers, that’s what the latest and greatest tax hike on cigarettes was all about.
Posted by: Helena | June 2, 2009, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
So we pass all these laws and stop people from smoking. As a result they live longer and spend more time on social security and medicare. But I thought social security was going broke? maybe they found some more money for it?
Posted by: oldfatguy | June 2, 2009, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
Why can’t the FDA “regulate” and tax marijuana?
Posted by: Jiva Soul | June 2, 2009, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
I agree that tobacco has over 4,000 chemicals in it and should be regulated. However, Mr Obama and the legislators WANT SMOKERS TO SMOKE. Why else wouldn’t they invest not even a single dollar in helping smokers to quit smoking. No, this is a tax on poor, addicted people. It is a travesty that they are collecting all of these cigarette taxes and not one dollar for tobacco cessation. Mr Obama’s new name should be President New Tax.
Posted by: Robin | June 2, 2009, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
Good. Time for the tobacco companies to be forced to become transparent. Its long over due, next lets get a bill that bans smoking everywhere except single family unattached houses so that those of us who don’t smoke never have to be exposed to second hand smoke, thus shorting our lives, EVER again. Then lets pass a bill making it a mandatory 30 jail sentence for anyone who smoke around a minor, including in their own house. By teh way, there is NO such thing as “less harmful tobacco” it all kills, and there is NO such thing as SAFE use of tobacco.
Posted by: jay | June 2, 2009, 4:31 pm 4:31 pm
Jay,
“LET’S” just do all you want….LOL…then YOU alone can pay for the liberals SCHIP Program!
Posted by: Mike_C | June 2, 2009, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
You guys ban tobacco and watch your taxes go thru the roof.
Posted by: FedUp | June 2, 2009, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
You guys ban tobacco and watch your taxes go thru the roof.
ABC what is wrong with this site? This new set up to eliminate automated programs (which I’ve never noticed on here) is just not working right.
Posted by: FedUp | June 2, 2009, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
“So we pass all these laws and stop people from smoking. As a result they live longer and spend more time on social security and medicare. But I thought social security was going broke? maybe they found some more money for it?”
Right. I say we should ENCOURAGE all people to smoke frequently and regularly. They should start at a younger age too, maybe once they hit puberty. This will kill off a lot of people who otherwise would live longer and drain more money from Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Not to mention giving hospitals and health care workers more job security. And the tax revenue generated from tobacco sales could help balance the budget and pay down the deficit. Come on America, be a patriot and light up!!!
Posted by: SearamblerOne | June 3, 2009, 8:29 am 8:29 am