A group of religious leaders is urging House Majority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) to empower the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products, the Columbus Dispatch reported May 16.

Citing the need to keep cigarettes away from children, the group held a news conference at a Columbus church to call for action from Boehner, who took over as majority leader in February from Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Religious leaders had previously targeted DeLay with their message.

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the FDA could not assume oversight of tobacco without Congressional approval, and DeLay blocked legislation that would have given FDA that role.

"As people of faith and as community leaders, we are here today to say, 'Enough is enough,' " said Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, president of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and a member of the group Faith United Against Tobacco. "This means standing up against an unregulated tobacco industry that markets candy-flavored products that look like cigarettes to children."

Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) has sponsored an FDA oversight bill in the Senate, and a similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. House.

Boehner's office did not return a call seeking comment; the Ohio lawmaker has been a supporter of the tobacco industry in the past, and companies like R.J. Reynolds oppose FDA regulation.