class assignment 3/5
U.S. Panel Passes Tobacco Plan
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed new legislation that would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the Tobacco Industry.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act passed in a 39-13 vote today. The House of Representatives passed the same measure last July.
“Regulating tobacco is the single most important thing that we can do right now to curb the deadly toll of tobacco,” said Representative Henry Waxman (D-Cal.)
Former FDA Commissioner Andre von Eschenbach said last year that regulating tobacco goes against the agency’s mission because the products are inherently harmful.
Since 2002, four similar bills have failed because of the debate about menthol, the only flavor not banned under the current measure. The FDA could opt for a ban at a later date over menthol, but critics say doing so would be a dangerous concession to the industry.
