The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill that will give the FDA full regulatory control over the tobacco industry. If the bill passes it is expected to dramatically reduce tobacco marketing, ban many flavored cigarettes, and prohibit the labeling of cigarettes as “light” or “low-tar.” It makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that the government would care for me so much that it would protect me from the evil tobacco industry. I guess flavored cigars will be next on the chopping block.
How does an agency, that is not headed up by an elected official, have the power to wantonly harass a whole industry? How can they tell them “Hey, your products are unhealthy and even though they are legal and people want to buy them you can't advertise?” If they place anymore restrictions on the tobacco companies and tax it anymore then they might as well either ban it altogether or nationalize it because there will no longer be a reason to work in the industry.
I have said this before and I will say this again. I don't smoke and I advise others not to smoke but I leave it up to them to make that decision. It is not the government's job to decide what is good and not good for its citizens and then pass legislation that takes the decision making power out of the people's hands and gives it to the government bureaucrats. People can protest against tobacco, boycott tobacco, advertise against tobacco, and decide for themselves not to smoke tobacco. Now the government wants that power.
Write to your Senator and Congressman and let them know that you want to keep your freedoms. Let them know that free speech is not just a tag line but a right that everyone has. And that our right to choose to smoke or not smoke is our choice and not the government. If you want to smoke an apple flavored cigarette who is the FDA to tell you that you can't.
Here is the article referenced in this post.