US vote says cigarettes are drugs

[fnord]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7534705.stm

US vote says cigarettes are drugs

About one in five adults in the US still smokes


The US House of Representatives has voted to treat tobacco as a drug and have it regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The bill would tighten restrictions on advertising, impose new penalties for selling to children and require all new products to be approved by the FDA.

But the White House threatened to veto the bill, saying it would put an enormous burden on the FDA.

It also said having FDA approval could make people think cigarettes are safe.

Industry funded

The bill cleared the House with a 326 to 102 vote, as 96 Republicans ignored the president's position and voted in favour of the bill.

The programme would be funded by levying millions of dollars in fees from the tobacco industry.

Senator Edward Kennedy hopes to get the legislation before the Senate by the end of the year.

Representative Henry Waxman has been trying to get the House to pass tobacco regulation legislation for more than a decade.

"This is truly a historic day in the fight against tobacco," he said.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for sharing.

[Nature Boy]

"It also said having FDA approval could make people think cigarettes are safe."

If you ask me, anyone stupid enough to believe this after all we know about cigarettes now deserves all the smoking-related diseases they get. It's not the 1930s anymore. The dangers of cigarettes are well documented. Governments continue to dream up insane excuses for changes in legislation. In Ireland right now, for example, carry-out alcohol sales are no longer permitted after 10pm, which is down from 11.30pm. The measure is to "curb underage drinking". If there's any logic there, it's certainly lost on me.

[old hippie 56]

"But the White House threatened to veto the bill, saying it would put an enormous burden on the FDA."
Now, that statement is pure 100% bullshit, the administration is thinking about the millions pour into the Republican campaign war chest.

[Richi]

If only we could sign up marijuana to be approved by the FDA next...