Report: Obama to sign tobacco legislaton

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama has said he will quickly sign a bill that passed in the House Friday that would impose tough new regulations on tobacco, according to published reports.

The bill would place regulation of tobacco products under the authority of the Food and Drug Administration, while also banning such products as cigarettes flavored with cloves and strawberry, and banning cigarette makers from advertising their products with such labels as “light” and “mild.”

More than 400,000 Americans die of smoking-related illnesses every year, and more than 35 million live with chronic lung disease, according to the American Lung Association.