The House passed legislation by a 298-112 vote to grant FDA authority to regulate, but not ban, cigarettes and other tobacco products, according to NPR and the Wall Street Journal. The FDA could make ingredients public, ban flavoring and prohibit marketing campaigns.
The Senate could take up the bill* this month, but whether it can pass is up in the air. The White House supports the bill, and surprisingly Philip Morris is on board**, but most other tobacco companies and some senators, including Republican Richard Burr, N.C., oppose the legislation. Burr has threatened to filibuster.
* See my March 4 post for the legislation's contents and issues.
** If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Philip Morris is the largest cigarette manufacturer in the country, so if FDA does gain power over tobacco products and restricts development of new products, ipso facto it retains its status as industry leader.
