Senator Edward Kennedy's Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was passed through Congress in May of this year, and is said to have unflagging support from President Barack Obama.
The question is, what will the passing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act mean for America's smokers and for big tobacco?
The Act outlines the prohibition of all flavored cigarettes other than tobacco or menthol, and prohibits tobacco product manufacturers from using tobacco that contains a greater level of pesticide chemical residue than is specified by any tolerance applicable to domestically grown tobacco.
It will also grant the FDA the right to prior approval of all label statements on tobacco products to prevent misbranding.
If the act passes it wouldn't be the death nail for big tobacco, who will still be allowed to produce cigarettes, smokeless tobacco products, little or normal-sized cigars, pipe tobacco or roll-your-own tobacco products. The act also specifies that the FDA will not be allowed to reduce the nicotine yields of tobacco products to zero.
Senator Kennedy outlined the importance of the bill in a statement released on June 10, 2009:
"The need to regulate tobacco products can no longer be ignored. Used as intended by the companies that manufacture and market them, cigarettes will kill one out of every three smokers. Yet, the federal agency most responsible for protecting the public health is currently powerless to deal with the enormous risks of tobacco use. Public health experts overwhelmingly believe that passage of H.R. 1256 is the most important action Congress can take to protect children from this deadly addiction. Without this strong Congressional action, smoking will continue at its current rate, and more than six million of today's children will ultimately die from tobacco-induced disease."
Resources
Statement from Senator Edward M. Kennedy, United States Senator for Massachusetts
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
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