Issue date: 7/2/09 Section: Opinion

Trying to protect individuals from themselves does not fit the scope of Congress' powers, and threatens more than smokers. [Click to enlarge]

On June 11, the U.S. Senate passed legislation enabling the Food and Drug Administration to impose stricter controls on the manufacturing and marketing of cigarettes.

The government has overreached its authority again by granting itself the power to alter even the taste and names of cigarettes in a noble effort to force citizens to make the right choice regarding health.

This major victory for anti-smoking advocates comes again at the cost of personal liberty for a specific group of Americans, and sets a dangerously important precedent for the future regulation of the choices we are allowed to make as adults.

Rather than mandating that Americans smoke government-approved cigarettes, President Barack Obama and Congress should let people make their own decisions when it comes to the brand of smokes.

Already, anti-smoking supporters have won major political and legal battles in ensuring that their safety is assured. It is entirely reasonable for workspaces and airplanes to demand smokers take their fumes elsewhere.

However, as city and state governments around the country adopt more policies restricting smoking almost anywhere indoors and continues to raise sin taxes to unreasonable levels, it has become apparent that the anti-smoking crowd is not content with simply ensuring a reasonable degree of safety from second-hand smoke.

Anti-tobacco lobbyists have instead started a crusade against choice that begins with complete government control of the tobacco industry.
Beside giving the FDA power to set standards that could reduce the nicotine content of cigarettes, the law bans most tobacco flavorings, such as cloves, considering them a lure to first-time smokers.

A decision on the continued existence of Menthols was deferred for later study, but this sweeping restriction on cigarettes is unreasonable. By eliminating mint, clove and other flavors, the FDA has laid the foundation necessary to alter the taste of tobacco further.

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