Tobacco Bill Becomes Law

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., an original co-sponsor of the landmark tobacco control legislation signed into law on Monday by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony, said the new regulatory authority over the production and marketing of tobacco products will save lives, reduce smoking-related illnesses and protect young people from an addiction that takes a tighter grip the longer they smoke.

"Tobacco kills, even if it takes years of smoking and years of illness," said Pallone. "Tobacco is the deadliest legal product on the market but up until today there was more regulatory authority for toaster ovens. Most importantly, we will protect young people from the insidious marketing techniques used to get them started at an impressionable age. We have a responsibility to protect our young people. Now we will have the ability and the authority to do so."

The Daily Toll:

• Every day - more than 3,500 (mostly young) people try cigarettes for the first time.
• Every day - 1,000 young people become daily smokers.

The Annual Toll:

• Smoking costs the country $96 billion in health care - per year.
• Smoking causes $97 billion in lost productivity - per year.
• Tobacco is responsible for 443,000 deaths - per year.

By empowering the Food and Drug Administration with regulatory authority and resources it needs, we will be able to take the following actions:

• Pre-market review for new tobacco products;
• Prior approval of all labels;
• Restrict the sale or distribution of tobacco products, including advertising and promotion;
• Public notification and recall, against unreasonably harmful products;
• Set standards for the sale of "modified risk" tobacco products;
• Prohibit artificial or natural flavors (other than tobacco or menthol);
• Restrict tobacco marketing and sales to youth;
• Establish a Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.