Friday, June 12, 2009

WASHINGTON--Following yesterday’s 79-17 Senate vote on the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the House of Representatives voted 307-97 today to concur in the Senate’s amendments and send the historic bill to President Obama.
 
The legislation gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products. a battle it has been waging since 1996 in an effort to deter youth smoking.
 
Although he smokes, Obama said he is eager to sign the bill. “My administration is committed to protecting our children and reforming our health care system—and moving forward with common-sense tobacco control measures is an integral part of that process," he said in a statement.
 
The American Thoracic Society and the American Lung Association are also vocal supporters of the bill. In a statement released yesterday, ATS said its members believe enactment of the tobacco bill is “the most effective way” to reduce tobacco use in the U.S. and to improve respiratory health.
 
“This legislation offers us an unprecedented opportunity to stop tobacco addiction before it starts by allowing the FDA to ensure that tobacco products are not marketed to children and that the tobacco industry is required to advertise these products honestly,” said ATS President J. Randall Curtis, MD.
 
“Today marks an historic culmination of a more than 20-year journey to provide the FDA urgently needed regulatory control over the tobacco industry,” said Paul Billings, American Lung Association vice president for policy and advocacy. “This long overdue legislation will protect kids and reduce the terrible human and financial burden caused by tobacco use in this country.”
 
According to the COPD Foundation, nine out of 10 COPD-related deaths are due to smoking.