Tobacco giants in the USA facing far stricter control

A bill which would give the government of the United States far more power and control over the tobacco industry has received the support of the Senate.

If the bill is approved by the House of Representatives it will permit nicotine levels in cigarettes to be limited and advertising curtailed and will be seen as a major victory against vested tobacco interests which for years have sought to frustrate any form of regulation.

As many as 20% of Americans are smokers and smoking is responsible for 440,000 deaths each year in the U.S. and attempts to try to curb smoking among Americans have repeatedly been thwarted.

U.S. President Barack Obama says "the passage of the bill would make history by giving the scientists and medical experts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to take sensible steps that will reduce tobacco's harmful effects", and praise has also come from anti-smoking groups and health campaigners.

The bill was passed by the Senate by a margin of 79 to 17, giving the FDA powers to regulate the content and marketing of tobacco products - not by banning nicotine or cigarettes entirely, but by limiting nicotine levels, attempting to lessen the appeal of smoking among young people, by limiting the use of flavours, restricting advertising in publications targeting young people, toughening rules on sales to young people and restricting vending machine sales to adult-only places.

Tobacco companies will also need FDA approval for new products and terms such as "light" or "mild" in tobacco packaging which imply a smaller risk to health will be barred.

Tough new warning labels on tobacco products will be required and the bill is particularly focussed at curbing the take-up of smoking among children and will also allow the inspection of cigarette makers, for whom mandatory registration with the FDA will be required as well as a list all the products they make.

The House of Representatives adopted a similar bill in April, and it has been suggested that the House might accept the bill in its entirety when it next votes - it would then go straight to President Obama to be signed into law.

Such a move has over the years been fiercely resisted by the industry and lawmakers from tobacco-producing states but this latest attempt has gained the support of America's biggest tobacco firm, Philip Morris, though some suspect the company's motives.

The bill is being viewed as one of the most momentous milestones in the history of smoking since the 1964 surgeon general's report highlighted the hazards it posed to health and anti-smoking lobbies say the legislation represents the strongest action Congress has ever taken to reduce tobacco use, the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

President Barack Obama, who has openly discussed his own struggle to quit smoking, has promised to sign the bill, making it law.

Many tobacco companies suffered a set back last month when an appeals court agreed the industry lied to hide the dangers of smoking and the industry is said to be divided over the new regulations - this is not the first time tobacco companies have faced tighter controls as television and radio cigarette adverts have been banned for nearly 40 years.

Critics have voiced the concern that the FDA is not up to the job of regulating yet another industry, especially in the wake of numerous tainted food and drug safety scandals in recent years and others believe money would be better spent on programs that directly help people stop smoking rather than simply regulating a product that is known to cause death and serious illnesses.