Clove cigarettes are officially
history. So are "light" cigarettes and your favorite Marlboro
billboard next to KinderCare. Monday in the Rose
Garden, President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco
Control Act, a bill that gives the Food and Drug Administration the
responsibility to regulate tobacco products.
Before signing the bill,
Obama said that tobacco-related illnesses are the leading cause of preventable
death in the United States, and he detailed all the ways that kids get hooked
on smokes before they turn 18. He ought to know, he said, because "I was
one of these teenagers, so I know how difficult it can be to break this habit
when it's been with you for a long time."Is the prez still taking
drags while nobody's looking? He wouldn't say, but he did say what's in the new
law:* FDA regulations will
supersede weaker state laws, a major expansion of federal power;* The bill bans the
words "light" or "mild" in tobacco advertising, as well as
any words that give the impression that one cigarette is less dangerous than
another;* It bans flavored
tobacco products, like clove or cappuccino cigarettes (yes, they exist);* It requires companies
to submit a complete list of ingredients in the tobacco, paper, filter and
other components, and allows the FDA to require the removal of any additive it
says is dangerous;* It requires this list
of ingredients to be placed on all labels, which will itemize chemicals added
to tobacco products;* It restricts tobacco
marketing to children, such as tobacco billboards near schools.Finally, the legislation
applies to all tobacco products, not just cigarettes, and it passes all of
the additional costs of new regulations back to the tobacco companies.Before we consign the tobacco bill to history,
however, let's take a quick look back at the House floor debate that gave us
the words from Republican Steve Buyer of Indiana, never-before spoken in the
history of Congress: "Go ahead and you smoke your lettuce!"