Tobacco News and Interesting Information

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Despite a decline in recent years, more than one in five American adults still smokes cigarettes. In a new report, the U.S. Institute of Medicine charged that the federal government should be taking much greater steps to decrease tobacco use in this country.

The expert committee recommended substantially increasing taxes on cigarettes and ensuring that all states have a high tax on tobacco products so that people can't cross the border for cheaper cigarettes. They suggested a national indoor smoking ban on all restaurants, bars, malls and prisons.

The Institute of Medicine said that the Food and Drug Administration must be given much greater authority over tobacco sales. Under suggested new rules, tobacco companies could not mislead people with terms like "mild" or "light" cigarettes. They would have to include bigger picture warnings on cigarettes regarding the dangers of smoking and restrict the type of places that can sell cigarettes.

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Perhaps most signficantly, tobacco companies would be prohibited from targeting children.