US House of Representatives Passes Bill to Allow FDA Regulation of Tobacco

The US House approved bi-partisan legislation that gives the FDA the authority to oversee and regulate tobacco marketing and sales in the U.S.

Nationally, there are more than 400,000 tobacco-related deaths annually in the U.S. and every day 3,000 teens who try cigarettes and become permanent smokers.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act establishes FDA regulation of tobacco products that would strengthen measures to protect children from predatory tobacco marketing, improve health and save lives across the nation.

The bipartisan legislation specifically gives the FDA authority to:

Restrict tobacco advertising, especially to children.
Ban candy-flavored cigarettes.
Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, changes to their products and research about the health effects of their products.
Require changes in tobacco products, such as the removal or reduction of harmful ingredients.
Prohibit health claims about so-called "reduced risk" products that are not scientifically proven or that would discourage current tobacco users from quitting or encourage new users to start.
Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products.
Prohibit advertising or terms that imply health claims such as "low-tar," "light" and "mild" that have mislead consumers into believing that certain cigarettes are safer than others.

Having passed in the House, however, the bill faces likely challenges in the Senate where Senators have introduced competing legislation.