Big Tobacco Escapes, For Now

When the dust settled on Capitol Hill last week, only one thing was clear about the future of Big Tobacco: It ain’t over until the legislative session ends. There are about 40 days left for Congress to sing.
GOP Sen. John McCain’s tobacco bill–and the regulations restricting cigarette advertising contained within it–effectively died last week when Republicans in the Senate pulled it on a technicality. However, some Democrats have pledged to tie the Senate in knots by reintroducing the McCain bill as an amendment to every other proposal that appears on the floor.
The spotlight is now on the Republican leadership in the House, which is in the process of shaping a “tobacco-lite” bill [Adweek Dossier, May 18].