If you smoke it, chew it or work in a business that sells it, you’ll probably be affected by it.
It’s the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act the U.S. Senate passed on Thursday.
The act gives the Food and Drug Administration sweeping authority to regulate tobacco products from levels of tar and nicotine to advertising and warning labels.
All it needs is President Obama’s signature. We’re looking at different perspectives on this issue.
We begin with the Greensboro News-Record – in the center of U.S. tobacco country.
An editorial praised senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan for
“…fiercely defend(ing) an industry that still makes a big financial impact in North Carolina.”
“Tobacco isn’t a sacred cow anymore — not in North Carolina, judging from recent state legislation to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, and certainly not on Capitol Hill, where it’s viewed favorably only as an easy source of tax revenue.”
And FOX business reporter Stuart Varney says – tax revenue shouldn’t be an issue.
He cites the example of New York State where tax on a pack of cigarettes rose to $2.75 – the second-highest in the country and pushing cigarettes in New York above $8.
“310,000 people quit smoking but revenue to Albany went up. They got it right. They raised taxes, discouraged smoking and still raised revenue for government services. Now that’s what I call a successful campaign.”
Douglas McIntyre writing for the website 24/7 Wall Street has this unusual perspective… He says big tobacco companies actually got what they wanted…
“It will be harder to sue the firms once the government is passing judgment on how they do marketing and what chemicals their products contain. The industry may end up being more profitable as legal costs and settlement fees disappear.”
A blogger for the National Review – says not so fast….
“Given how dangerous tobacco is, it's extremely difficult for the FDA to declare tobacco in any way to be safe and maintain its public-health credibility. In addition, the FDA’s resources are already stretched thin by its oversight over food, drugs, and devices.”
Do you think that FDA regulation will have any effect on people’s tobacco use? How do you feel about the possibility that taxes on cigarettes will go up?
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