The crop that basically helped start the American colonies, will probably no longer be grown here.

Unintended consequences in 3.. 2..

Such a laughably transparent anti-consumer regulatory capture!

Also, if the bill looks more like the Senate version than the House version, cigarette manufacturers will be allowed to write language on packages similar to:

"This tobacco product is regulated, inspected and approved by the Food and Drug Administration"

That's hilarious! Even more funny to me is that the House version wants to strip this out - so they want the FDA to regulate, inspect and approve the tobacco products but they're not allowed to say they're regulated, inspected and approved because we wouldn't want people to think they're safe...

Just asinine, the whole way around.

Would this include shisha - for use in hookahs? It's a flavored tobacco but doesn't seem to have all that other crap in it like cigarettes do.

i wonder what will happen to imported cigarettes - i smoke cloves.

So what are they going to call "light" cigarettes now? Are they just going to stop making them because some people will insist on believing that different composition/filtration equals a safer cigarette no matter what you tell them? And does "flavored" include menthols?

@catastrophegirl - house closing june 12th: Back when I was smoker, it was Dunhill for me. Wonder as you do how this will affect the Import market.

Excellent if they actually reduce advertising to young people, but without new young addicts they'll go out of business. Tobacco companies will find a way to circumvent this.

Limiting the nicotine will create new addicts more slowly, but existing smokers will have to buy more cigarettes in order to get their proper fix. More $$s to the tobacco companies.

@Vanilla5: From what I've heard, smoking hookah is just as bad for you as smoking cigarettes. It just doesn't feel as harsh because you also have water in the smoke.

@The-Lone-Gunman: i used to smoke sampoernas, which were imported by philip morris until about 3 years ago. maybe they were getting ready for this? i don't know who imports my current brand

@Shoelace:
Limiting the nicotine will create new addicts more slowly, but existing smokers will have to buy more cigarettes in order to get their proper fix. More $$s to the tobacco companies.

Interesting point. Maybe that's why they supported this, so now they can blame the "need" for smokers to have to buy more deathsticks on the fact that the government forced them to change (all the while, charging just as much per pack for the new half-strength nicotine delivery system).

@CumaeanSibyl: Back when I smoked, I had to 'light' them all [rimshot]...

In as much as people will believe anything, anyone with half a brain should know by now that 'light' cigarettes are not less harmful.

Just a fun fact for those who didn't know: most menthol cigarettes are flavored by the menthol being impregnated on the inside of the foil wrapper.

Anyone I know who smoke so-called "light" cigarettes wind up smoking more to get the same nicotine level. Someone (it might have been the FDA) referred to cigarettes as a nicotine delivery device. That's all it really is.

Next they'll regulate the number of hops in a bottle of beer.

@MrDo: I weep for the economies of so many states, the paychecks of so many employees, the livelihoods of so many farmers. THANKS, GOVERNMENT!

@catastrophegirl - house closing june 12th: imported cigarettes are fine, but cloves are not. They are banned as part of the restriction on flavored cigarettes (despite the fact that menthol cigarettes are OK)...

"FDA will now need to know and approve all ingredients in tobacco products."

I wonder if they will approve all the poison additives.

@H3ion: Actually the "light" ban came from research that showed "light" cigarettes had the same amount of crap in it.

Brilliant political move - piss off people with big pockets. Keep at it.

I enjoy cigars on a fairly regular basis. I like how they are taking a higher interest in the health aspects of our smokes then of fast food or processed food.

Look around and see what is a bigger problem, smoking or obesity and get back to me.

Besides don't we have more important things to worry about right now then if I smoke stogies or not?

Die, big tobacco. Die die die..

@Jim Reardon: i'm obviously going to need to read whatever version gets passed quite carefully. then again, cloves are illegal in florida and they still sell them in walt disney world gift shops, gas stations and grocery stores.

@Corporate_guy: I'm surprised. I'm a smoker and I get almost no effect from a light cigarette.

@OMG! Con Seannery!: eh dramatic much?

[www.sfgate.com]

@H3ion: Germany and the US already do regulate the amount of hops. Cant call a beer a beer unless it contained a certain amount.

@Corporate_guy: I wouldn't mind seeing those taken out of all cigarettes, to be sure. American Spirits are expensive.

The government will not give up one of its largest revenue streams.

Of course, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see some hypocrisy come out of Washington, DC.

As long as they stay away from the beer and liquor we're ok.

@catastrophegirl - house closing june 12th:

Well, the article posted read "...Regulators could prohibit tobacco companies from using candy or other flavors in cigarettes that tend to attract young smokers..."

So it's by no means definite. But I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see cloves get the boot.

@Thaddeus: have you ever known a politician to stay away from beer or liquor? what makes you think they'll start now? ;)

@Thaddeus: Unlike tobacco, all forms of alcohol have at least some sort of health benefit to them.

In the case of alcohol its excess thats the issue, not the product it's self.

@MikeHerbst: The existing smokers will then have more negative effects from other 'ingredients' in the deathsticks; e.g. tar, since they're smoking more of them. The tobacco companies, already forced to contribute huge amounts of healthcare $$$$s, will balk at paying - claiming some of the health problems aren't their fault.

@Jupichan: That's f--king stupid.

@tsume:

Now, if there were cigs with tie-dye papers that smelled of bubble-gum, I think the "regulators" would have a point.

Then again, I'd pay to see a biker gang smoke them suckers. :3

@Thaddeus: And then they came for the cigarettes, and I didn't speak up because I didn't smoke.

And then the came for the alcohol, and I didn't speak up because I didn't drink.

And then...they came for...

ad infinitum

@MrDo: Slaves also helped start the American colonies ... actually, had a much bigger role than tobacco. You don't see me crying that slavery is over.

@OMG! Con Seannery!: Know what would fix this?

LETTING TOBACCO FARMERS CONVERT TO INDUSTRIAL HEMP.

But that would involve something vaguely like the ebil, ebil pot.

(Jimmy Carter also pushes a fast-growing tree crop that grows well on tobacco land, sells for high prices, and is pretty environmentally friendly. But it's hard to convince tobacco farmers to go to trees and the market for the product is still maturing.)

@H3ion: It has a lot to do with the fact that "lights" are mostly called that because there are extra holes poked around the filter, so the smoker inhales more air with the smoke, and thus lower amounts of tar and nicotine. However, the holes are strategically placed where a smoker would usually hold the cigarette so much of the "benefit" is lost.

@Jim Topoleski: I'm not sure what the health benefits of Everclear are, but as if I ever needed a reason...

@Jupichan: hrm, curious. can they ban importers from bringing flavored ones in though? or will they just ban imports due to the packaging not having the right labels?

Don't you feel like the politicians were handcuffed to pass this. Even if they didnt want to. For their political future i mean.

Or else their next opponent will have ads such as "___ voted NO against regulating the tobacco industry...think of the children!"

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I'm not sure how reliable the sources are, but I have read on several occasions that the Jamestown settlers grew marijuana/hemp crops. Virginia's economy might be largely based on tobacco these days, but before we got wind of that we were well aware of the green stuff. Funny how history works.

(Fun fact: According to NORML's statistics marijuana is still Virginia's number one cash crop.)

@catastrophegirl - house closing june 12th: Hm. Dunno. :o

Perhaps they'll just put shiny death stickers on the packs of cloves "These bitches may smell delish, but I reckon they's gonn'kill ya!"

@rachmaninov1: @H3ion: too bad hops have nothing to do with the alcohol content of the beer.

@Robobot: Very reliable. Its well know even Washinton had more marijuana plots than tobacco directly because of hemp.

Marijuana did not become this big bad crop until last century where it ban was directly related to racial concerns and not medical science.

They claimed it made blacks and Mexicans go crazy and turn into rapists.

@youbastid: certainly not from drinking it, BUT as a antiseptic its great.

@Jupichan: i can see the day i end up having to go to a special pharmacy to get my clove cigarettes and have a card from my doctor [i have so many other medical issues and smoking actually helps keep me from throwing up several times a day]

Guess I should stock up on Swisher Sweets cherry before they are illegal.

@The_Red_Monkey: True, but I don't have to deal with second-hand weight gain from the guy next to me eating a Big Mac.

Besides, inroads are being made into regulating the 'bad foods' industries - it just seems to be happening more at a state and local level, rather than a Federal one.