Kennedy wants cigarette risks regulated in Obama-backed bill

摘要

USA: The US Food and Drug Administration would have the power to regulate tobacco under legislation that Senator Edward Kennedy will introduce.rnMr Kennedy, who sponsored a similar proposal that failed last year after President George W. Bush threatened a veto, expects that President-elect Barack Obama will support the measure, said the Senator's spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Mr Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, chairs the Senate Health Committee.rnThe House of Representatives voted 326-102 last year to put the FDA in charge of regulating the health risks of smoking. Bush opposed it, saying the measure would strain the agency and undermine its credibility. The measure didn't get a Senate vote, although the chamber's version had 59 co-sponsors, including Obama, then a senator from Illinois.