That's the end of that shit

The New York Times has an article spelling doom to Big Tobacco: "Decades after the surgeon general first warned that cigarettes were a health hazard, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Wednesday that would for the first time give the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco products. Citing the long history of warnings about the dangers of smoking, Representative John D. Dingell, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said that it was hard to believe that the federal government had not yet regulated the tobacco industry... The bill specifically states that the FDA’s new powers would stop short of the ability to order the elimination of nicotine from tobacco products or place an outright ban on all tobacco products. But the agency could reduce nicotine to nonaddictive levels if it determined that doing so would benefit public health. The FDA could also require changes in tobacco products, like the reduction or elimination of other harmful ingredients... The bill was opposed by many Republicans. Many said they objected to expansion of the federal bureaucracy, and complained in particular that the FDA was already unable to fulfill its work overseeing pharmaceuticals and food. In floor discussion, John A. Boehner, the House minority leader, a smoker, called the legislation a 'boneheaded idea'."

Rico says what else would you expect from a smoker...

"If the legislation is enacted, consumers would see a wholesale revamping of the warning labels on tobacco products. The small messages currently on cigarette packs warning of the negative health effects would be replaced by graphic images of the physical ravages often caused by cigarettes, such as lung tumors and mouth growths. The bill will also require cigarette makers to provide detailed disclosure about the type and quantities of ingredients in their products — like ammonia and acetaldehyde — which are believed to work with nicotine to increase the addictiveness of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. The requirements mean that companies would be required to disclose internal research on the biological effects of those additives."

Rico says if this passes (not a sure thing, especially if the President vetoes it), it's doom for the cigarette industry; no loss, as far as he's concerned, but other people will doubtless be upset...