This isn't exactly new news, but this is the first chance I've had to actually sit down and read about it.

As of this month, the following things are banned nationally:

1) It bans flavored tobacco products, like cloves or flavored wrappings (Menthol is an exception)
2) It bans all public smoking establishments outright, such as shesha bars or hookah lounges
3) It bans the use of "Light" or "Mild" monikers for tabacco products (people apparently getting confused)
4) It requires all ingredients of tabacco products to be printed on the label
5) It increases the size of the warning label to 50% of the box
6) It increases fines and penalties for tabacco marketing to children

This has been in the works for months. The bill was actually introduced in February. Canada started it, and when their bill passed, the US followed suit. It was called "House Bill 654" to begin with, and then more revisions were tacked on as it made it's cycles through congress. Now it's called "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act."

For more info:
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Some of you probably have very strong feelings about this matter. If you'd like to voice your opinion, please feel free to do so. Personally, I am torn about this legislation. On one hand, I feel that smoking is a public health issue that endangers everyone. Second-hand smoke is now proven to be a cause of heart, throat, and lung disease, which is a shame since those people probably had no choice but to inhale the smoke (they're children of smoking parents. Merry Christmas, son, here's a lung tumor.) I am also against the marketing of tabacco products to children. It's defiance against the US law and it's the same reason I'm against product marketing in news; this is a form of control to garner money at the cost of the social good.

I'm actually even fine with the banning of the terms "light" and "mild," although if you think that "light" cigs are better for you than normal ones, you're possibly a moron. But at least with this law in place there won't be any confusion between "light" meaning "low-calorie food" and "light" meaning "lighter flavored cigs."

But to be honest (and this may shock some of you), I actually feel that this law goes too far in terms of what it is banning. There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that cloves are more attractive to youth, and flavored tobacco products aren't inherently marketed to children, even if the flavorings are similar to that found in candy. Furthermore, banning sheesha and hooka is terribly insensitive to certain U.S. demographics. Middle Easterners treat social sheesha smoking like the English treat "Tea Time," and banning this practice in the U.S. could be seen by radical groups as an infringement of their personal rights. Which, frankly, it is. The existence of Sheesha bars is not a threat to public health because those who enter a sheesha bar are under control of what they're inhaling. Furthermore, Sheesha is culturally important to those who choose to partake, and banning it is an affront to that cultural practice. It'd be similar to banning football gatherings in that it'd be removing an important social institution from public availability.

So I don't know if I'm for or against this law. I do think that Obama made the wrong call here; he should have had the law revised so that it wasn't so far-reaching. But then again, laws are often worded this way to prevent loopholes, so on other points I agree with it.

What about you guys? I'm still on the fence, can any of you sway me to one side over the other?


-Spooky