Friday, June 12, 2009

FDA Regulation of Tobacco Headed to the President!!

The US House of Representatives today passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act 307-97!

On the heels of yesterday’s Senate passage, this vote clears the way for the bill to go on to President Obama for his signature. Though no date has been set for that signing, the President has indicated his support and that he will indeed sign the bill. Speaker Pelosi suggested on the floor today that it could occur next week.

This is a monumental victory for public health advocates!

The bill will:
  • restrict the flood of advertising aimed at enticing our children into a lifetime of tobacco addiction
  • require the tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients in their products
  • require stronger and more prominent warnings about the health risks of smoking
  • help reduce the number of deaths from heart disease and stroke caused by tobacco use!
  • finally put tobacco products under the same scrutiny as mac n' cheese, make-up, dog food, and nearly every other consumer product on the market!

You can send an email to thank supportive lawmakers at http://www.heartprescription.org/!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a monumental breakthrough and a shift in how our government looks at the health of their fellow Americans.
T.B. RN, BSN
Graduate Student

Anonymous said...

This is another example of how the government is regulating more and more of our lives. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. Just like everyone knows that drinking, eating fast food, driving too fast, and not excercising is also bad for your health. An individual person is capable of making the decision to smoke or not, just like they are capable of deciding to go for the Big Mac or eat a salad. With that said what no one seems to think about or be concered about are the many Amercians in states such as Kentucky, Tennesse, North Carolina, and others who rely on this cash crop for their families income. With all the layoffs across the country do we really need to cause more Americans to lose their source of income?