President Issues New Restrictions on Tobacco Advertising, Sales to Minors

WASHINGTON--President Clinton has announced new restrictions ontobacco advertising and sales intended to cut teenage smokingin half over the next 7 years.

The rules, based on the FDA's new classification of tobacco productsas nicotine delivery devices, will prohibit giving out free tobaccosamples or using billboards at sports events for tobacco advertising,and will restrict the use of cigarette vending machines to adultfacilities where children are not allowed. The rules will alsoabolish cigarette advertisements in magazines that tend to beread by teenagers. The regulations will be phased in over a periodof 1 to 2 years, to allow time for compliance.

The day after President Clinton made his announcement, a 662-pagedocument explaining the basis for the FDA's assertion of jurisdictionover cigarettes and smokeless tobacco under the Federal Food,Drug, and Cosmetic Act was published in the Federal Register (vol.61, no. 168, annex).

The NCI issued a press release applauding the regulations. "Ifa new medicine promised to reduce cancer deaths by a third, we,as a nation, would rush to bring that therapy to the market,"the NCI said. "The President wants to do just that, but asa preventive measure."