WASHINGTON, July 30 /EMWNews/ -- The U.S. House of

Representatives took a historic step today by passing legislation that

would grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over

tobacco products, including the authority to crack down on tobacco

marketing and sales to kids. The bill passed with an overwhelming majority

and broad, bipartisan support. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for

consideration and Missouri public health organizations called on Senator

Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to protect

America's kids from tobacco addiction and support the bill.



    "Tobacco use is the nation's leading preventable cause of death,

killing more than 400,000 people and costing more than $96 billion in

health care costs each year," said Bonnie Linhardt, Missouri State Advocacy

Director for the American Heart Association. "In Missouri, 24 percent of

high school students smoke, and tobacco use kills 9,800 residents each

year. In addition, it is responsible for $2.1 billion in health care costs

annually. We call on Senators Bond and McCaskill to cosponsor the bill that

would grant the FDA authority over tobacco, while helping us fight for the

health and well-being of Missouri's children."



    Among other things, the legislation would:



    -- Crack down on tobacco marketing and sales to kids;



    -- Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products;



    -- Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco

products;



    -- Grant the FDA authority to require changes in tobacco products, such

as removal or reduction of harmful ingredients;



    -- Stop tobacco companies from misleading the public about health risks

of their products.



    Unbelievably, despite all the harm they cause, tobacco products are

exempt from basic health regulations that apply to other products, such as

food, drugs, and even cosmetics. The tobacco companies continue to take

advantage of this lack of regulation to market their deadly and addictive

products to our children, deceive consumers about the harm their products

cause, make changes to their products without disclosing them (such as

secretly increasing nicotine levels in cigarette smoke), and resist any

meaningful change to make their products less harmful. The tobacco industry

spends $13.4 billion a year marketing its products - $423.5 million in

Missouri alone.



    The Senate bill, sponsored by U.S. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and

John Cornyn (R-TX), has 57 sponsors and cosponsors. The legislation is also

supported by more than 680 public health, faith and other organizations

across the country, including every major national public health

organization. Regulation of tobacco products by the FDA was endorsed last

year by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and

the President's Cancer Panel. A poll conducted in June found that 70

percent of American voters support Congress passing the legislation.