Historical Overview of Tobacco Legislation and Regulation

In this paper we describe the legislative and regulatory history of tobacco control efforts and discuss the ways in which the debate over tobacco control has been framed. From a regulatory perspective, primary concern is how to balance the individual 's legal use of tobacco products with society's obligation to limit the use of a lethal product. Our review demonstrates the progress tobacco control advocates have made in enacting statewide legislation and local ordinances, especially during the past fifteen years, to restrict both smoking in public places and youth access to tobacco products. Nevertheless, this progress may be threatened by a powerful and determined tobacco industry. We discuss various strategies for determining how and where to allocate tobacco control resources.