Tobacco Rule Proposed in ’95 to Go Into Effect

[onehandle]

WASHINGTON — Fifteen years after the Food and Drug Administration first proposed banning the sale and marketing of tobacco products to teenagers, top government officials announced Thursday that they would finally put the rule into effect.

The rule was hugely controversial when first proposed in 1995 and was never adopted by the agency because of a Supreme Court ruling that legislation was needed to empower the F.D.A. to regulate tobacco products. That legislation was passed and signed by President Obama last June. The rule goes into effect on June 22.

The tobacco industry adopted most of the rule’s provisions in 1998 as a result of litigation. And every state bans tobacco sales to minors, although enforcement provisions vary widely. The new rule provides consistent enforcement mechanisms across the country.

“The historic rule we’re issuing today will help our kids to stay healthy,” Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, said at a news conference.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/health/policy/19tobacco.html