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Faith groups cheer Congressional approval of FDA regulation of tobacco industry 

Faith leaders have applauded Congress for its action approving landmark legislation authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products.

“Better late than never, the Congress has responded decisively to pleas from medical and scientific experts and hundreds of religious leaders across the country to give the American consumer regulatory protection from the relentless marketing of this deadly health threat,” said Wesley “Pat” Pattillo, the National Council of Churches' Senior Program Director for Justice, Advocacy and Communication.

The vote followed years of advocacy by a diverse 25-member coalition of religious groups – Faith United Against Tobacco – that included the National Council of Churches, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), American Baptist Churches, Church of the Brethren, Episcopal Health Ministries, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Progressive National Baptist Convention, United Church of Christ, Seventh-day Adventists, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and Islamic Society of North America. . . .

As backers of “The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids,” the Faith United coalition was especially interested in the bill’s efforts to eliminate tobacco sales to minors.

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