New Legislation Regulates Tobacco Marketing

This morning, President Obama signed legislation that gives the FDA the ability to regulate tobacco marketing.  They are expected to take a number of measures to reduce tobacco advertising to youth:

• Most cigarette ads will be limited to black-and-white text only (which may face free-speech challenges)
• Outdoor advertising within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds is banned (though research shows that there is still a lot of advertising in neighborhoods near these schools)
• Tobacco-brand sponsorships of sports and entertainment events will be stopped (research shows that teens who watched a tobacco-sponsored sports event were more likely to experiment with tobacco)