President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill giving the government historic powers to curb cigarette makers, declaring the move emblematic of the change he is bringing to Washington.

Mr Obama affixed his signature to the measure with a nod to his own struggles to kick the habit, and lamented the fact that 1,000 people under the age of 18 become regular smokers every day, courting a range of grave health risks.

The law grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a regulatory body, the authority to ban flavourings added to some tobacco products and require tough new warning labels, in a bid to lessen tobacco use among young people.

Under the new law, the FDA will create a new Center for Tobacco Products to oversee the science-based regulation of tobacco products in the United States.