Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Obama Signs Smoking Crackdown

By the Associated Press

Posted Jun 22, 2009 2:15 PM CDT

(AP) – President Barack Obama cited his own long struggle to quit the cigarettes he took up as a teenager as he signed the strongest-ever US anti-smoking bill today and praised it for providing needed protections for future generations. "It is a law that will save American lives," Obama said. "The decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful effects of smoking has finally emerged victorious."

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act allows the Food and Drug Administration 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. Opponents say the FDA had proved through a series of food-safety failures that it was not up to the job of regulation.

A man lights a cigarette.
A man lights a cigarette.   (AP Photo)
President Barack Obama signs the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act today.
President Barack Obama signs the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act today.   (AP Photo)
President Barack Obama, members of Congress, and others, applaud after he signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
President Barack Obama, members of Congress, and others, applaud after he signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 17 comments
atris999
Jun 25, 2009 2:45 AM CDT
kudos!!!
emptycalm
Jun 23, 2009 12:28 PM CDT
Don't be disillusioned, it's not just Obama, All government is there to tell you what is good for you.
Shannonals
Jun 23, 2009 11:15 AM CDT
Regardless of what you think about the adminstration, it's the right thing to do. Only an ignorant individual would think that lowering the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, banning candy flavorings isn't a good idea.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

More Newser Stories

E-Cigs Work, But Have Smoking Foes Burning

Judge Blocks Gruesome Cigarette Labels

FDA Doctored Its Gross Cigarette Photos

FDA to Regulate E-Cigs

Honduras Will Bust Smokers ... at Home


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne