Senator Brown on Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

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Law Includes Brown's Amendment on Smokeless 'Tobacco Candy' Products

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today attended the White House bill signing ceremony of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The legislation includes an amendment authored by Brown and Sen. Jeff Merkley that will protect consumers from smokeless ‘tobacco candy’ products. In response to today’s bill signing, Brown issued the following statement:

“Tobacco companies lose 400,000 customers each year to tobacco-related deaths and illnesses. It’s unconscionable that they target children to replenish their customer base. This bill will give the government the tools and authority it needs to take on the tobacco industry and protect consumers. We need to prevent today’s youth from becoming tomorrow’s tobacco consumers.”

¬The Merkley-Brown Amendment, included in the landmark legislation, responds to new tobacco candy products selectively launched in Ohio, Oregon, and Indiana. More information about the amendment that would require an examination into the public health effects of tobacco candies and associated risks pertaining to children can be found here.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new legal authority to regulate tobacco products. Under the bill, the FDA can regulate the content of cigarettes and other products, set rules governing marketing and warning labels, review previously classified tobacco industry research, and decide whether new tobacco products may be sold in the U.S.

Source: Senator Sherrod Brown