Latest Legislation on Cigarette Smoking

Everyone knows about the bad effects of cigarette smoking on their health, still there are around 3000 children who get into this habit daily. Combating smoking is the story of common sense against the tobacco industry. There is lack of common sense and the Congress keeps on coming with legislations, which may not be very effective and the tobacco manufacturers spend loads to money to fight the legislation.

Legislation in April 2009, led to making the cost of tobacco double. The idea behind it was that people will not be able to buy tobacco with the bad economy. The problem here is that smoking cigarette is addictive and it is not easy to quit the habit. There is very little chance that an individual who has lost his job will quit smoking. In fact he may cut his food budget to meet this expense.

The only positive of such legislations is that the government’s kitty grows. The aim of the taxes collected is to fund new programs to assist in decreasing cigarette smoking but we all know the effectiveness of such efforts of the government.

As the latest attempt the government has authorized the FDA to approve the ingredients which can be allowed in tobacco products, consent changes, remove toxins and prohibit new tobacco products. It sounds like a good move. The main addictive and toxic element in tobacco is Nicotine.

There are around 500 and 1000 more ‘additives’ in cigarette tobacco which are toxic and addictive. The legislation should have given more authority to FDA to ensure that all the additives are eliminated and making it less addictive product.

Earlier I believed that FDA objective was to control drugs and drugs in a way that people got safe products. The fact is that the FDA lets growth hormones, antibiotics and additives to be used in several foods. There is no reason to think that the FDA will do much with cigarette safety.

The fact is that tax and legislations are not a solution but just a politics and revenue issue. It may be better to use the funds for classroom assignments for children, documentaries of patients and other pictures of what cigarette smoking can do to the lungs.

President Obama being a bright and educated person smokes and we need to target the coming generation. President Obama remarks on the bill “… For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is.”

Representative Henry Waxman , the author of the bill, had this to say when the new legislation was passed “I think we are today at the last gasp of the tobacco industry’s efforts to protect their profits at the expense of the health and lives of the American people and to get children to take up this habit.” 

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