Tobacco.org

• Senate could vote today on tougher tobacco laws  

Congress is poised to approve the most sweeping effort ever to regulate tobacco products.

The Senate could pass a bipartisan bill as early as today that would require larger health warnings on cigarette packs, ban candy flavorings, ban the use of claims such as "light," "mild" and "low tar," and further restrict tobacco advertising.

On Monday, the Senate voted to end debate, a crucial step toward passage. In April, the House approved a similar bill giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco. President Obama, who has struggled to quit smoking, has said he'll sign the legislation.

"It's historic in that we're finally saying tobacco needs to be regulated," said Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who co-authored a bill in 1990 to ban smoking on airplanes. He said the bill will save millions of lives and protect children, but he lamented that "it breaks my heart it took us 20 years."

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