COULD THERE BE TROUBLE AHEAD FOR PRUDHOMME’S SPONSOR?

Congress is in the midst of pushing a bill forward that would turn tobacco regulation over to the Food & Drug Administration, 
potentially resulting in “…the most draconian ad curbs ever imposed on a consumer product by the U.S. government,” according to the April 2nd issue of the respected publication “Advertising Age.”  The Senate already approved similar legislation, which would move the government’s oversight of tobacco from the Federal Trade Commission to the FDA.  The legislation further directs the FDA to impose the tobacco ad curbs that were first proposed in 1996, which are considerably more stringent than those currently being enforced.

COULD THERE BE TROUBLE AHEAD FOR PRUDHOMME’S SPONSOR?

Congress is in the midst of pushing a bill forward that would turn tobacco regulation over to the Food & Drug Administration, 
potentially resulting in “…the most draconian ad curbs ever imposed on a consumer product by the U.S. government,” according to the April 2nd issue of the respected publication “Advertising Age.”  The Senate already approved similar legislation, which would move the government’s oversight of tobacco from the Federal Trade Commission to the FDA.  The legislation further directs the FDA to impose the tobacco ad curbs that were first proposed in 1996, which are considerably more stringent than those currently being enforced.

While the impact of this legislation remains unclear in terms of the smokeless tobacco market, one aspect of it, which calls for 20% of all advertising space to be devoted to warning labels, would certainly have a deleterious impact on the appearance of Don Prudhomme’s Larry-Dixon-driven dragster.

R.J. Reynolds has been running a series of ads in opposition to the bill, but with the legislation being co-sponsored by some 200 Congressmen and women it’s defeat seems unlikely.  If, as expected, the bill passes and is signed into law, further restrictions on the sports marketing of tobacco products will go into effect, which would certainly be detrimental to motorsports, where smokeless tobacco sponsorships remain in place at present