ERLC Celebrates Signing of Bill to Regulate Tobacco
- Jun 25, 2009
After years of support by a diverse group of religious bodies and public health organizations, a bill authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products became the law of the land June 22.
In a Rose Garden ceremony, President Barack Obama signed into law the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which recently received approval in Congress. Barrett Duke, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s (ERLC) vice president for public policy and research, was one of several religious leaders who attended the White House signing ceremony. The ERLC, alongside numerous health, education, and religious organizations, had been a leading proponent of the legislation for years.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act is expected to help curb tobacco use, especially among children, and further restrict the marketing and makeup of tobacco products. The law will restrict tobacco advertising and require more prominent health warnings on tobacco products and advertisements. It also will eliminate candy-flavored cigarettes and mandate that tobacco companies reveal the contents of their products to consumers.
Southern Baptists have supported FDA regulation of tobacco products for decades. In the 1930s, the Southern Baptist Convention passed its first resolution calling for the regulation of tobacco. In recent years, the FDA regulation has been a legislative priority for the ERLC, particularly in its work with the group, Faith United Against Tobacco.
The ERLC is appreciative of those who encouraged their congressmen to support this landmark legislation. The impact will be a lasting and far-reaching one. As ERLC President Richard Land has said, the passage of the bill will literally save hundreds of thousands of American lives over time.
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