The information below is from an article posted today at NRO. Click this link for the full article. The author has some skeptical opinions about how the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will benefit public health.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YWUwOTExZGNjNTlmNWM1OGZkOWNhY2Q5ZTY5ODA3NTc
"The legislation grants the FDA expansive regulatory authority over tobacco products, including their development and advertising. The law will be administered by a new division within the agency and funded by special taxes on tobacco manufacturers that are expected to raise a half-billion dollars per year. So tobacco users will face still higher prices and more restrictions on their favored products. Less clear is whether the new law, taken as a whole, will enhance public health. Some portions of the bill are almost certainly unconstitutional, and others could inhibit the marketing of less dangerous products.
The central provisions of the bill establish a new regulatory regime for tobacco. The bill sets specific limits on advertising and promotion, prohibiting sponsorship of sporting and entertainment events, free product giveaways, and advertising in publications with substantial teen readership. The federal government will also regulate vending machine placement, self-service displays, point-of-sale advertising, and over-the-counter sales at retailers. The FDA will have explicit authority to develop additional marketing limitations as it deems appropriate.Manufacturers will be required to place expanded warning labels on their products and to provide the government with more detailed information about cigarette contents and smoking by-products. The law also bans flavored cigarettes--except for menthol."
President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law in the next few days.
More information can be found at SmokeFree WI's blog (link on this page) or at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids www.tobaccofreekids.org
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