Thunder
14th June 2009, 08:56
So, after reading a FAQ posted below, I'M RAGING. I love to buy the occasional pack of Djarm Blacks, but damn it! CLOVE CIGARETTES ARE GOING TO BE BANNED! I'm sure that many of yalls favorite brands of tobacco will also be affected by this bill, somehow. Man, this freaking pisses me off~
H.R. 1256: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
FAQ
Q: I'm blind and have been living under a rock. What's this all about?
A: H.R. 1256 is a bill that will grant the FDA control over the tobacco industry. This means they can control the content, they can ban indivitual additives and set limits on the nicotine and tar content. It also bans flavorings other than menthol in cigarettes. You can read it here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1256&version=pcs&nid=t0%3Apcs%3A347 (that link jumps to the bit about flavorings)
Q: So...are they gonna take the nicotine out of my tobacco? What the fuck?
A: They have the authority to reduce the nicotine content. The act forbids taking nicotine completely out. However, I wouldn't expect them to. It sucks ass that they have the authority to, but that doesn't mean they're going to exersize it. Big tobacco is gonna be lobbying pretty hard to prevent this sort of regulation. They can lobby the FDA too.
Q: So are the contents going to be printed on the boxes now?
A: No. I believe the FDA has the power to mandate this, but the act does not, and FDA probably won't. However manufacturers must submit the contents of all of their products to the FDA, and they will be made avaliable to the public.
Q: What about the new warning labels?
A: The new labels are required to be on the top of the package and take up at least 30% of the box. They will be printed on the front and the back. They are required to be black text on a white background, or white text on a black background, and colored such that the warning label contrasts with the rest of the box.
Q: I heard they're not allowed to advertize in color anymore. Do all tobacco ads have to be black and white now?
A: No. This was a misunderstanding. Warnings are required to be printed with all tobacco ads, and those warnings must be black text on a white background, or white text on a black background. The new warning labels must be at the top, take up at least 20% of the ad.
Q: OK what about the no flavoring bit? I know clove cigs (kreteks) are gonna be banned, but what else? Will Luckies be banned?
A: Your Luckies are safe. As far as I know, they don't contain any flavorings. Malboro, Camel, Parliament, Pall Mall, Newports, Kool, and the like are also all safe. If your favorate brand is an american or british made cig, 99% chance it won't get banned or changed.
Q: Will this also ban flavorings from papers?
A: No, this act doesn't deal with papers at all.
Q: What about Sheesha? Cigarillos? I don't want my sheesha taken away!
A: Read the link above, this bit specifies cigaretts specifically. Sheesha isn't affected, neither are any little cigars, so any brand of cigarillos or blunts (swisher sweets, black and mild, Phillies, etc) are fine.
Q: Will this also ban flavorings from RYO tobacco?
A: Yeah, actually (doesn't mean you can't add your own or use a flavord paper)
Q: Aren't they also banning light, mild, and low-tar cigs?
A: Well, yes and no, mostly no. With this act, if a company wants to produce a light, mild, low-tar, or other "low-risk" product, they have to prove to the government that that it's actually light, mild, or low-tar. If they can't, they have to call it something different. So there's a chance that some products might have to change names, but they'll be the same otherwise. However, some companies might end up changing the product to get to be called 'light' or whatever. I don't know how likely this is, but it's possible.
Q: Are filterless cigaretts going to be banned?
A: They are not banned under this act. The FDA may be able to require filters, but I'm not sure they can, and I'm pretty sure they won't.
Q: So when does all this shit go down?
A: Well, it's been passed by both the house and senate. At this point in the law-making process, the bill goes into a committee of senators and representitives, who will work out the slight differences in the senate and house versions of the bill. This final version will then go to the president to be signed into law. I'm not exactly sure how long this process takes, but the differences in the versions are so slight that it probably won't take that long. I'd expect it to be signed into law sometime this month, or maybe early next month. The ban on flavored cigs takes effect three months after the bill is signed into law. They'll need to be off the shelves by then.
H.R. 1256: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
FAQ
Q: I'm blind and have been living under a rock. What's this all about?
A: H.R. 1256 is a bill that will grant the FDA control over the tobacco industry. This means they can control the content, they can ban indivitual additives and set limits on the nicotine and tar content. It also bans flavorings other than menthol in cigarettes. You can read it here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1256&version=pcs&nid=t0%3Apcs%3A347 (that link jumps to the bit about flavorings)
Q: So...are they gonna take the nicotine out of my tobacco? What the fuck?
A: They have the authority to reduce the nicotine content. The act forbids taking nicotine completely out. However, I wouldn't expect them to. It sucks ass that they have the authority to, but that doesn't mean they're going to exersize it. Big tobacco is gonna be lobbying pretty hard to prevent this sort of regulation. They can lobby the FDA too.
Q: So are the contents going to be printed on the boxes now?
A: No. I believe the FDA has the power to mandate this, but the act does not, and FDA probably won't. However manufacturers must submit the contents of all of their products to the FDA, and they will be made avaliable to the public.
Q: What about the new warning labels?
A: The new labels are required to be on the top of the package and take up at least 30% of the box. They will be printed on the front and the back. They are required to be black text on a white background, or white text on a black background, and colored such that the warning label contrasts with the rest of the box.
Q: I heard they're not allowed to advertize in color anymore. Do all tobacco ads have to be black and white now?
A: No. This was a misunderstanding. Warnings are required to be printed with all tobacco ads, and those warnings must be black text on a white background, or white text on a black background. The new warning labels must be at the top, take up at least 20% of the ad.
Q: OK what about the no flavoring bit? I know clove cigs (kreteks) are gonna be banned, but what else? Will Luckies be banned?
A: Your Luckies are safe. As far as I know, they don't contain any flavorings. Malboro, Camel, Parliament, Pall Mall, Newports, Kool, and the like are also all safe. If your favorate brand is an american or british made cig, 99% chance it won't get banned or changed.
Q: Will this also ban flavorings from papers?
A: No, this act doesn't deal with papers at all.
Q: What about Sheesha? Cigarillos? I don't want my sheesha taken away!
A: Read the link above, this bit specifies cigaretts specifically. Sheesha isn't affected, neither are any little cigars, so any brand of cigarillos or blunts (swisher sweets, black and mild, Phillies, etc) are fine.
Q: Will this also ban flavorings from RYO tobacco?
A: Yeah, actually (doesn't mean you can't add your own or use a flavord paper)
Q: Aren't they also banning light, mild, and low-tar cigs?
A: Well, yes and no, mostly no. With this act, if a company wants to produce a light, mild, low-tar, or other "low-risk" product, they have to prove to the government that that it's actually light, mild, or low-tar. If they can't, they have to call it something different. So there's a chance that some products might have to change names, but they'll be the same otherwise. However, some companies might end up changing the product to get to be called 'light' or whatever. I don't know how likely this is, but it's possible.
Q: Are filterless cigaretts going to be banned?
A: They are not banned under this act. The FDA may be able to require filters, but I'm not sure they can, and I'm pretty sure they won't.
Q: So when does all this shit go down?
A: Well, it's been passed by both the house and senate. At this point in the law-making process, the bill goes into a committee of senators and representitives, who will work out the slight differences in the senate and house versions of the bill. This final version will then go to the president to be signed into law. I'm not exactly sure how long this process takes, but the differences in the versions are so slight that it probably won't take that long. I'd expect it to be signed into law sometime this month, or maybe early next month. The ban on flavored cigs takes effect three months after the bill is signed into law. They'll need to be off the shelves by then.