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Obama to sign sweeping anti-smoking bill

msnbc.msn.com — President Barack Obama is set to sign into law an anti-smoking bill that will give the Food and Drug Administration unprecedented authority to regulate tobacco.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 22, 2009

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  • bmcnally, on 06/22/2009, -8/+340FTA: Tobacco companies also will be required to cover their cartons with large graphic warnings.

    Anyone else immediately think of "Thank You For Smoking"?
  • duke_nate, on 06/22/2009, -30/+293"unprecedented authority to regulate __________________"

    Anyone else tired of hearing that yet?
  • redcolumbine, on 06/22/2009, -117/+362Whaaaaa! It's my right as an American to put myself in a wheelchair, on oxygen and public assistance, in between expensive surgeries, and have the rest of you pay for it! You're abridging my basic freedoms! I need a smoke!
  • itstodd, on 06/22/2009, -31/+275Legalize marijuana illegalize cigarettes! Whoa, wait what?
  • readme, on 06/22/2009, -29/+263Doesn't Obama still smoke?
  • ironhide, on 06/22/2009, -24/+253If he does he has to deal with the new laws as well. Your point?
  • Cine, on 06/22/2009, -1/+161I'm from Norway, where the box is already covered with text that takes up 60% of the box, reading "Smoking kills."

    The cartons in England, though? Grossest thing I have ever seen. http://localhostr.com/files/0d297a/Picture+2.png Shows pictures are worth a thousand words.
  • RudeTurnip, on 06/22/2009, -3/+161Wow, that really is a bad mustache...I am never going to smoke!!!
  • gameboyhippo, on 06/22/2009, -23/+162My thoughts exactly. Digg's a bunch of hypocrites...
  • ruforealz, on 06/22/2009, -32/+152Regardless of your smoking/anti-smoking attitude... If ***** milk is regulated more than cigarettes, something is ***** up. Sounds to me like they are just correcting an imbalance created by a powerful tobacco lobby.
  • twiztidsinz, on 06/22/2009, -42/+150As a non-smoker and supporter of Obama, this is *****.
  • Bloodwine, on 06/22/2009, -22/+124Maybe I don't pay close enough attention to the media, but when was the last time you saw any tobacco marketing aimed at children? That was killed off many, many years ago when Joe Camel was taken around behind the shed.

    This is just a FDA power grab. Honestly, if someone doesn't understand that inhaling smoke into your lungs day in and day out is bad for them, then let them die and make more room for those of us with common sense. Who needs to be told that cigarettes are bad for you? Most smokers know that they are bad for them.
  • amigiac, on 06/22/2009, -50/+147Welcome to the 21st century guys, nice to have the US coming up to European standards. :D

    You'll be banning burger commercials during kids shows next!
  • Hetman, on 06/22/2009, -1/+97They do it in Canada already. Thank-You for smoking is also a great movie though.
  • Gumby_Mac, on 06/22/2009, -2/+97From Dennis Leary's "No Cure for Cancer" CD:

    "There's a guy- I don't know if you've heard about this guy, he's been on the news a lot lately. There's a guy- he's English, I don't think we should hold that against him, but apparently this is just his life's dream because he is going from country to country. He has a senate hearing in this country coming up in a couple of weeks. And this is what he wants to do. He wants to make the warnings on the packs bigger. Yeah! He wants the whole front of the pack to be the warning. Like the problem is we just haven't noticed yet. Right? Like he's going to get his way and all of the sudden smokers around the world are going to be going, "Yeah, Bill, I've got some cigarettes.. HOLY *****! These things are bad for you! *****, I thought they were good for you! I thought they had Vitamin C in them and stuff!" You ***** dolt! Doesn't matter how big the warnings are. You could have cigarettes that were called the warnings. You could have cigarrets that come in a black pack, with a skull and a cross bone on the front, called tumors and smokers would be lined up around the block going, "I can't wait to get my hands on these ***** things! I bet you get a tumor as soon as you light up! Numm Numm Numm Numm Numm" Doesn't matter how big the warnings are or how much they cost. Keep raising the prices, we'll break into your houses to get the ***** cigarettes, ok!? They're a drug, we're addicted, ok!? Numm Numm Numm Numm Numm *wheeze*"
  • cygnus2112, on 06/22/2009, -8/+103Yep. He, Biden and Rush Limbaugh blaze a few joints on Thursday nights and then raid the White House pantry for SunChips.
  • Sherman901, on 06/22/2009, -34/+119YAY FOR BIG GOVERNMENT!!!

    /s
  • inactive, on 06/22/2009, -2/+84Great movie.
  • MrSteamTank, on 06/22/2009, -10/+91Welcome to the start of $10+ a pack cigarettes like in Canada. 8)
  • KyleRayner, on 06/22/2009, -14/+87Thats wonderful, since the FDA is such a well staffed and well funded agency, which excels at detecting bad drugs and foods long before they hit store shelves. Wait, wat?

    And if tobacco is so bad, why not make it illegal altogether? Oh yeah, it pays a lot of bills doesnt it.
  • WhoRadley, on 06/22/2009, -8/+81welcome to hyperbole
  • TheUngod, on 06/22/2009, -6/+76Next he'll be regulating Vermont cheddar cheese.
  • jba68, on 06/22/2009, -27/+96Yea, and you have no vices?

    doubtful.

    /not a user of tobacco products.
  • PabloMac, on 06/22/2009, -6/+71He has to deal with the old laws, too. Like the Constitution.
  • Ross667, on 06/22/2009, -40/+105Ugh, it looks like the nation's smoking laws are about to become like Utah's liquor laws. It seems likely that all this bill would do would be to increase the smoking of those people who are addicted to nicotine and need a fix while raising sin taxes that take advantage of people who lack the desire/ability to quit.
  • 07dcolem, on 06/22/2009, -28/+92This is odd. It's not like Obama to want more government control.

    /s
  • Verchiel77, on 06/22/2009, -11/+67Welcome to pissing on the memories of six million dead with your asinine comparisons...
  • slvrbullet87, on 06/22/2009, -33/+88European standards of having the government hold your hand all the time because you dont think people should be able to put into their body what they want?

    I would rather live in the 13th century than that
  • Bloodwine, on 06/22/2009, -4/+58cigarettes with less nicotine = more cigarettes to get the same effect. However, the higher cost of cigarettes may offset that phenomenon.
  • Cerin, on 06/22/2009, -1/+54The great state of Vermont will not apologize for its cheese!
  • methdwman3, on 06/22/2009, -5/+56Ummm.. You do realize smokers pay HEAVILY into the system by way of huge taxes.
  • manlyandy, on 06/22/2009, -12/+59They aren't making cigs illegal...
  • megaton, on 06/22/2009, -22/+69Maybe I missed the memo, but for what smoking-inflicted victim am I paying healthcare?

    What *does* cost me money? Regulation. Regulation isn't free, because someone has to enforce that new regulation, and people cost money.
  • grimacebrown, on 06/22/2009, -24/+70I still don't get why smokers are so vilified. South Park made a witty mention of this once... it was an episode bent completely around tolerance and equality. And still... the one person that nobody gave a ***** about was the smoker.

    I are confused...
  • Brooks007, on 06/22/2009, -3/+46only when he is drinking...
  • twiztidsinz, on 06/22/2009, -1/+43I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a <TOFU>burger today!
  • MrsRodted, on 06/22/2009, -19/+60If he is a smoker, props to him for making his own bad habits harder to accomplish
  • gtluke, on 06/22/2009, -0/+41He has been trying to quit since the campaign. He still does occasionally according to the last statement he made about it that I read.
  • yngtimmy, on 06/22/2009, -19/+59Which is why socialistic medicine can not work without controlling bad health behavior
  • CoD4, on 06/22/2009, -16/+55Religions killed a ***** of people too, they should be kept hidden from view as well
  • PhairOh, on 06/22/2009, -3/+42I'm getting pretty sick of hearing "unprecedented" anything. I feel that we are way too far along in the history of the world to have so many things occurring each day that have no precedent.
  • jcr4nf, on 06/22/2009, -29/+68Seriously Digg me down, whatever. I'm so tired of the government sticking it's nose into my business. We're not children, and we don't need baby sitters. How about they outlaw your fat asses quarter pounders next? It's nothing more than regulating personal behavior to fit an agenda. Guess who has an agenda... everyone has an agenda and they would all love to regulate some part of your life.

  • JK1150, on 06/22/2009, -3/+41Being someone who frequently travels to Europe, I can easily say that smoking is lot more common there (including second hand smoke) than in the US. Whatever you are doing to combat smoking isn't working.
  • WasabiBomb, on 06/22/2009, -6/+43@butterpat: "In several provinces you can't smoke in your car if you are driving with kids."

    Oh, man, I would've loved that law when I was a kid. My mom smoked (and it ultimately led to her death when I was 18). I hated the smell of smoke (still do), and riding in the car with her was pretty damn torturous.
  • Stingwolf, on 06/22/2009, -6/+42"Yeah, as we all know the President always follows the law to the letter. /s"

    Are you implying that, since he is president, he will be able to go "underground" and get black market cigarettes that aren't regulated by the FDA? Sounds a little extreme.
  • grimacebrown, on 06/22/2009, -13/+49Ok... I'll also go ahead and count how many cups and plastic bags are there too... because smokers are obviously the only people who litter...
  • pegisys, on 06/22/2009, -3/+39@cawpin, you're already paying for someone else's health care
  • Hetman, on 06/22/2009, -7/+43I am all for personal choice. You have the right to smoke I believe pretty much everything you want. But cigerette smokers are an easy target. I mean when I walk outside my office I run into like 15 people smoking. I personally do not really care how harmful second hand smoke actually is, however the smell is horrible. If 15 guys were sitting outside your office farting there asses off, and you had to smell it everytime you walked outside you would villify them also.
  • jsuther, on 06/22/2009, -4/+39Are you really saying only necessities are protected by the constitution?
  • Rain12913, on 06/22/2009, -10/+45Whether it will make people stop or not is one thing, but how do you think this bill will make people smoke more?
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