Obama's New Prohibition

How Much Longer Until the New Century's Prohibition Falls on Its Face?

Amidst a flurry of activity in Congress, which has been trying to reform health care and restart the nation's economy for months, a relatively little-known bill floated through and found itself on the President's desk.

Known as the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, or HR 1256, the bill was introduced and sponsored by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca) and took little time to pass through the House and Senate. In short, the bill gives the FDA the authority to regulate the tobacco industry; this involves new label warnings and changing the semantics of the packaging (removing the word 'light', which some believed gave the impression of lower health risks).

More importantly, however, was Rep. Waxman's intention to ban flavored cigarettes in order to stave off the rising smoking rates in the 18-25 demographic. Fruit, spice and candy flavors all fell subject to the ban; only menthol-flavored cigarettes were to survive.

This exemption led to some of the strongest criticisms of the bill. Phillip Morris, being the largest producer of menthol cigarettes, offered some of the strongest lobbying behind the bill because of its proposed bans on other flavored brands. In return, HR 1256 became affectionately known by its detractors as the 'Marlboro Monopoly Act of 2009'.

Although focusing on the questionable background of the bill would be interesting by itself, it's become increasingly important to examine the possible ramifications of Congress involving itself into the American populace's daily decision-making. Since the nascent days of the New Deal, the American government has tried to find new ways to ensure safety and security over freedom. This new ban on flavored cigarettes was an obvious move, even from an objective standpoint.