ANTI-SMOKING groups have hailed the passage through Congress of a measure that allows the US federal government to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products for the first time. The House of Representatives yesterday approved the legislation by 307 votes to 97, following a 79 to 17 Senate vote in favour of it a day earlier.
“This is the day when Americans can begin to truly kick the habit, with the full force of our laws marshalled to protect consumers, and especially our young people,” said California Democrat Henry Waxman.
The legislation allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of tobacco products, which medical experts say eventually kill one-third of their consumers. Cigarette packets will feature graphic health warnings for the first time, most cigarette flavourings will be banned and manufacturers will have to disclose the ingredients in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The FDA will not be allowed to ban tobacco or to order cigarette manufacturers to eliminate nicotine entirely. About 45 million Americans use tobacco and 400,000 of them die of smoking-related illnesses each year.
The new legislation puts a major emphasis on dissuading the estimated 1,000 people under 18 who take up the habit each day, restricting advertising and promotions that target youth and banning the use of words such as “mild” or “light” that give the impression that certain brands are less harmful.
“This Bill has obviously been a long time coming. We’ve known for years, even decades, about the harmful, addictive, and often deadly effects of tobacco products,” President Barack Obama said.
“For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children, and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is. And after a decade of opposition, all of us are finally about to achieve the victory with this Bill, a Bill that truly defines change in Washington.”
The FDA has been trying to regulate tobacco since 1996 but the supreme court ruled in 2000 that the agency had no authority to do so. Colorado Democrat Jared Polis said that research showed that nine out of 10 current smokers took up the habit when they were teenagers or younger.
“Tobacco is a killer, more than 400,000 deaths every year – more than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, suicide, homicide and automobile accidents combined,” he said. “Big Tobacco claims they don’t market to kids. Nevertheless, they do a remarkably good job of getting kids to try their products. This has to change.”
Opposition to the new measure was led by legislators from southern, tobacco-producing states but the Bill received the backing of Altria, formerly Philip Morris, the country’s biggest cigarette manufacturer.
Other tobacco companies complained that, because the FDA is unlikely to approve new tobacco products, the legislation will help Altria to consolidate its market share.
Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Association, welcomed the legislation as “a bold and courageous step” towards ensuring a healthier future for children.
“The legislation will allow us to protect them from a dirty business that has infiltrated school grounds and homes for many generations,” she said. “Too many graveyards are marked by the consequences of the industry’s actions. With each puff of a cigarette, smokers increase their risk for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, and Big Tobacco’s irresponsible marketing campaigns have made it increasingly difficult to break the cycle of addiction and save lives.”