June 8 (Bloomberg) -- The Senate cleared the way for a final debate in a decade-old fight over whether the $80-billion- a-year U.S. tobacco industry should be policed by drug regulators.

Lawmakers voted 61-30 to limit deliberations on a measure that would empower the Food and Drug Administration to restrict ingredients such as tar and nicotine, review all new products and expand warning labels on cigarette packages. The House passed a similar measure April 2.

Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, urged lawmakers to allow consideration of an amendment permitting consumers to import cheaper medicines from other countries, including those used to treat the harmful effects of smoking. Majority Leader Harry Reid objected to the proposal, saying it was off-topic and would prevent the tobacco bill from passing.

“Every year, the tobacco industry pours billions upon billions of dollars into marketing designed to get more people, including children, to start smoking,” Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said today on the Senate floor. “These marketers are very good at their jobs. It’s time we do ours.”

Senator Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, said he voted to advance the bill after Reid promised that the Senate would consider drug importation in a separate vote “in a matter of weeks.” The proposal has “more than sufficient votes” to win passage in the Senate, Dorgan said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Catherine Larkin in Washington at clarkin4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 8, 2009 18:20 EDT