Senate advances tobacco regulation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate took a step Tuesday toward giving the government some controls over the tobacco industry, bolstering the chances that a long-sought goal of anti-smoking advocates will finally be realized.

The 84-11 Senate vote to consider the bill came a month after the House overwhelmingly passed a similar measure giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Sixty votes were needed to advance the legislation, and the success in reaching that threshold increases the likelihood that the Senate will move to a final vote by the end of the week. If the House concurs with the Senate measure, it would go to President Barack Obama, who is ready to sign it into law.

Supporters of the FDA legislation, such as the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, say tobacco use kills more than 400,000 Americans every year, resulting in $96 billion in health-care costs.

“I can’t think of a more significant step we can take on the eve of dealing with the health-care debate,” said Sen. Christ Dodd, D-Conn. He urged prompt action, saying that in the two or three days the Senate talks on the issue, “close to 10,000 children will begin smoking, 1,000 of whom will become addicted every day.”

Under the measure, the FDA could restrict tobacco marketing, specifically to young people; order changes to the ingredients in tobacco products; and require more-prominent health warnings. It would ban remaining tobacco-brand sponsorships of sports and entertainment events and restrict vending machines to adult-only facilities. It would bar the use of “reduced harm” descriptions such as “light,” “mild” or “low.”

It would impose a fee on cigarette manufacturers to pay for FDA regulation.

The FDA would not have the authority to ban cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Anti-smoking lawmakers have been trying for years to give the FDA regulatory powers, only to be blocked by tobacco-state colleagues, opposition from the tobacco industry and, during the administration of President George W. Bush, veto threats.