Obama and his administration are pushing an anti-smoking bill, H.R. 1256. It's called the "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act."
Info here and here.
What the bill will do:
- Bigger warning labels on packs of cigarettes. 50% or more of the package will be a warning label
- Tobacco sponsorships of entertainment or sports will be banned. Also banned are giveaways of non-tobacco products with tobacco purchases.
- Cigarette vending machines will only be available in places made exclusively for adults, as well as point-of-sale advertising.
- Apparently cigarettes flavored with sweeteners and "mild" tastes won't be available in stores. I'm not sure what they mean here, banning all cigarettes from stores with flavors?
It reads:
"Smokers, particularly the younger crowd, will find they can no longer buy cigarettes sweetened by candy flavors or any herb or spices such as strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon or vanilla. Cigarettes advertised as "light" or "mild," giving the impression that they aren't as harmful to health, will no longer be found on store shelves."
This report appears to back it up and says:
"No more "light" cigarettes or candy-flavored smokes. Bigger, scarier warning labels. Fewer ads featuring sexy young smokers."
Well, I don't like the sound of this bill at all. They need to stay out of our business.
In other news, Obama is having trouble staying smoke-free.
