The FDA will soon be regulating tobacco, it appears, after a 67-30 Senate procedural vote in favor of the legislation yesterday. The final vote is expected today, reports Dow Jones Newswires . The bill, first proposed in 1998, would curb some marketing for tobacco products. For instance, it would restrict the type of ads used in magazine advertising and prohibit the use of “mild,” “lite” and “low tar” on cigarette packages and advertising that suggests smokeless tobacco is healthier than cigarettes, according to the WSJ . Safety warnings will cover half of all cigarette packaging. It will remove a ban on state restrictions on tobacco, instead allowing states to limit where, when and how

cigarettes are sold at convenience stores and gas stations. The FDA can’t ban nicotine under the legislation, though it can try to reduce nicotine levels. Philip Morris, part of Altria Group, is glad to see “this important legislation’s progress,” spokesman William Phelps told the WSJ. He said the legislation will “create a framework for the pursuit of tobacco products that are less harmful than conventional cigarettes.” But one of the bill’s strongest opponents, Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, disagrees, putting out a press release titled: “Peace treaty with Philip Morris no way to win war on tobacco.”

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Long Road to FDA Regulation of Tobacco Nears Goal