On June 22, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comprehensive authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco products. The new law represents the most sweeping action taken to date to reduce what remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
To help you understand and evaluate this complex legislation, the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium has prepared two series of fact sheets. In the coming months, the Consortium will be developing additional materials to address legal issues raised by the new legislation and to help state and local advocates and policymakers take full advantage of the new opportunities it creates.
» Read the final legislation, H.R. 1256. PDF, 348 Kb
Our first series of fact sheets summarizes by topic key elements of the new law.
Fact Sheet 1: Overview PDF, 105 Kb
Fact Sheet 2: Tobacco Product Standards PDF, 112 Kb
Fact Sheet 3: Tobacco Product Marketing Restrictions PDF, 99 Kb
Fact Sheet 4: Tobacco Product Labeling and Advertising Warnings PDF, 104 Kb
Fact Sheet 5: Tar, Nicotine and Other Smoke Constituent Disclosures PDF, 98 Kb
Fact Sheet 6: Litigation PDF, 98 Kb
Fact Sheet 7: Preemption PDF, 99 Kb
Fact Sheet 8: Preventing Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products PDF, 96 Kb
Merged set of fact sheets: Federal Regulation of Tobacco: A Summary PDF, 575 Kb
Our second series of fact sheets describes how the new federal legislation will affect the tobacco control authority of state and local governments.
Fact Sheet 1: Overview - Impact on State and Local Authority PDF, 115 Kb
Fact Sheet 2: Expansion of State and Local Authority PDF, 76 Kb
Fact Sheet 3: Preemption of State and Local Authority PDF, 77 Kb
Fact Sheet 4: Unchanged State and Local Authority PDF, 88 Kb
Fact Sheet 5: Tobacco Product Marketing Restrictions PDF, 91 Kb
Fact Sheet 6: State and Local Authority to Establish Tobacco Product Standards PDF, 75 Kb
Merged set of fact sheets: Federal Regulation of Tobacco: Impact on State and Local Authority PDF, 593 Kb