Senate Nears Passage of FDA Regulation of Tobacco
The nicotine and other chemicals found in tobacco products might be addictive, and they might contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States
Jul 31, 2020114.5K Shares1.5M Views
The nicotine and other chemicals found in tobacco products might be addictive, and they might contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States each year, but currently the Food and Drug Administration — charged with ensuring the safety of the products Americans ingest — has no authority to regulate the industry.
That’s getting ready to change. The Senate on Wednesday killed a GOP filibuster of legislation empowering the FDA to oversee the marketing, manufacture and sale of tobacco products like cigarettes, chew and snuff. The vote was 67 to 30, with North Carolina Democrat Kay Hagan the only Democrat voting with GOP leaders to kill the measure.
Final passage is expected Thursday.
The House passed a similar proposal in April, and President Obama supports the bill, meaning it’s only a matter of time before the changes become law. The legislation will force the tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients of their products, grants the FDA the authority to pare back harmful ingredients like nicotine, and prohibits tobacco advertising near schools.
Bill sponsor Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), under treatment for incurable brain cancer, missed the vote.
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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