House Expected to Pass Tobacco Regulation Bill

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Supporters of a bill that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products are confident the House will pass the legislation in a vote scheduled for Thursday morning.

The legislation would still require Senate approval and President Barack Obama's signature before it could become law, but proponents feel both those steps can be achieved, according to the Associated Press.

"We have come to what I hope will be an historic occasion, and that is finally doing something about the harm that tobacco does to thousands and thousands of Americans who die each year," Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said Wednesday

Under his Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the FDA couldn't ban tobacco or nicotine, the AP reported. But the agency would have the power to regulate the contents of tobacco products, make the ingredients of tobacco products public, require much larger warning labels, strictly control or forbid marketing campaigns, and prohibit flavoring.