New Tobacco Law
Long Overdue

A miracle happened on Monday—
something I thought I
would never see. President
Obama signed into law a bill that will
regulate the tobacco industry. I call
it a miracle because for too long the
industry has bullied the American
public. It has lied about the harmful
effects of cigarettes and taken little
responsibility for millions of
tobacco-related deaths that occur each
year. Worse, it has no shame about
marketing cigarettes to minors.
A simple stroke of the pen did
away with decades of deceptive
advertising. While the Family Smoking
Prevention and Tobacco Control
Act doesn’t outright ban nicotine or
tobacco, it is a great start. The bill
gives the FDA unprecedented authority
to lower the amount of nicotine in
tobacco products, ban candy flavorings
that appeal to kids and block
misleading labels such “low tar” and
“light.” Tobacco companies also will
be required to cover their cartons with
large graphic warnings.
It’s estimated that 947 million packs
of cigarettes worth $1.26 billion are
sold illegally to children under 18
every year. These products generate
$221 million in profits for the tobacco
industry. An estimated 3,000 kids
begin smoking each day. About 60%
of them are under the age of 14.
Cigarette smoke contains over
4,000 chemicals, including arsenic
(rat poison), ammonia (toilet cleaner),
formaldehyde (used to preserve
dead bodies), and hydrogen cyanide
(gas chamber poison).
According to the National African
American Tobacco Prevention Network,
“Each year, 47,000 blacks die
from tobacco-related illnesses.
More African Americans die from
lung cancer than any other race in
the U.S. In addition, black youth
(about 90%) generally “prefer”
mentholated cigarettes. Menthol
smokers may be more likely to
inhale deeper with each drag on
their cigarette and potentially take
in more nicotine than do smokers of
non-menthol cigarettes.”
With so many lives lost due to
smoking, one has to wonder why
tobacco companies have not been regulated
a lot sooner. I think we all
know the answer to that question.
Big tobacco lobbyists have basically
“bought” the loyalty of certain members
of Congress to oppose legislation.
Tobacco-growing states like
North Carolina have put up a real
fight, criticizing the FDA’s ability
to pass food safety tests, let along regulate
the tobacco industry.
It’s no secret that the president has
struggled with nicotine addiction
since he was a teenager. Now he uses
nicotine gum, but admits that he occasionally
falls off the wagon. I quit
smoking decades ago, but I will never
forget the struggle. In fact, it was
one of the hardest things I have ever
had to do. The smoking habit is said
to be more addictive than heroin. Yet,
it continues to be legal. It probably
won’t happen, but I would love to see
the day when tobacco products are
banned altogether.
Meanwhile, I am glad the president
has taken this step. It will make all
of us breathe a little easier.