The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) became law on June 22, 2009, giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products to protect public health.

The Tobacco Control Act:

• Was created primarily to prevent and reduce tobacco use by young people.
• Recognizes that tobacco products are legal products available for adult use, prohibits false or misleading labeling and advertising for tobacco products and provides the tobacco industry with several mechanisms to submit an application to FDA for new products or tobacco products with modified risk claims.
• Gives authority to FDA to enforce all the provisions of this new law including contracts to States, U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations to assist FDA with enforcement as well as a broad set of sanctions for violations of the law.