President Barack Obama Signs Largest Anti-Smoking Bill in History

President Barack Obama signed the strongest anti-smoking bill in history Monday, giving the Food and Drug Administration control over the tobacco industry.

"The decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful effects of tobacco has emerged victorious," Obama said at a signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

The bill adds to a list of legislation that Obama has signed in his first five months in office, including a $787 billion economic stimulus bill, legislation to expand a state program providing children's health insurance and a bill making it easier for workers to sue for pay discrimination.

Obama echoed the importance of this bill and the difficulty to quit smoking once a person has begun. "I know -- I was one of these teenagers," Obama said. "So I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it's been with you for a long time."

Obama said almost 90 percent of people who smoke began at age 18 or younger, snared in a dangerous and hard-to-kick habit.

The new bill, formerly known as H.R. 1285, gives the FDA unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco. The new law bans candy and fruit flavors in tobacco products, and it limits advertising that could attract young people.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act also allows the FDA to lower the amount of addiction-causing nicotine in tobacco products and block misleading labels such "low tar" and "light." Tobacco companies also will be required to cover their cartons with large graphic warnings.

However, the law won't let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco outright.

As president, George W. Bush opposed the legislation and threatened a veto after it passed the House last year. The Obama administration, by contrast, issued a statement declaring strong support for the measure.

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