This week, The house passed by a large bipartisan majority, the Bill regulating tobacco under the control of the FDA.
What are your thoughts - will it pass, and if so when?
If you don’t think it will pass - do you think this is good?
FDA Regulation - good or bad?
August 2nd, 2008 | Current Issues, Regulations: FDA etc. | Chris Crawley
9 comments ↓
US Senate consideration of either S 625 or HR 1108 continues appearing less likely this session. Harry Reid is unlikely to let the full Senate waste a week debating the legislation (as Burr and McConnell have indicated they’ll filibuster) unless there are 60 supportive votes. A recent NY Times article by Stephie Saul indicated there were just 57 Senate votes in support of the legislation.
If the Senate considers either FDA bill, Mike Enzi still has several amendments to be considered (including a menthol cigarette ban, and a tobacco tax hike to fund FDA) that could create interesting debate and contraversy.
Even if the Senate were to pass S 625 (with or without additional amendments), the House and Senate would also still have to reconcile the differences between the bills (as S 625 requires color graphic warnings on all cigarette packs). Meanwhile, HR 1108 was amended with a 4 year moratorium for compliance by small tobacco companies, an allowance for the FDA to lower or eliminate penalties against retailers caught selling tobacco to minors, and a sampling exemption for smokeless products in limited adult-only locations.
But even if the House and Senate enact the same language, Bush is very likely to veto the legislation for various reasons (including several reasons I’ve been criticizing the bill for since 2004).
Unfortunately, the key reason (for public health and for tobacco companies) why the legislation should be rejected is because it protects the most hazardous tobacco products (cigarettes) from harm reduction market competion by far less hazardous smokefree tobacco products.
Bill is right on in my judgment and the fact that Sen. Kennedy is around more in spirit than body doesn’t help either when push comes to shove. The only conceivable angle here would be for the Democrats to want to further embarrass the Republicans in time for November by seeking the Bush veto and the Republican defense of tobacco, much like they did on SCHIP.
I think that folks should write to their senators that the truth must be proclaimed! Too many just sit back and do NOTHING AT ALL!
Seems like no body cares which is really a shame. Slowly we will lose all our rights!
……..especially if Obama wins. All of our liberties will be regulated or socialized.
Where does Mr. Stink get off with this stuff?
Let’s face it. With a republican congress, the tobacco bills died on the vine. It took the liberal, socialist, current do nothing congress to put it on the front burner during an election year. Now it dies again in the Senate because of the Bush veto threat.
Looks like the FDA is busy.
An analysis of Federal data by the health industry watchdog group the Institute for Safe Medication Practices found that the US Food and Drug Administration received 20,745 reports of serious drug reactions during January - March 2008, 38% higher than the average for the previous four calendar quarters, with Pfizer’s smoking cessation drug Chantix accounting for 1,001 cases, higher than any other medication. (Associated Press - AP 10/22)
The FDA can’t even control what it does now. How will it oversee a product that is harmful? Doesn’t FDA regulation make one think that it is ok? I guess that’s why folks call it the Marlboro Protection Act. Please folks less government is best!
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