FDA Should Oversee Tobacco, Senate Panel Says

The Food and Drug Administration should be given authority to regulate the advertising and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products, a U.S. Senate panel said.

If the Senate and the House formally adopt legislation that gains the approval of President Barack Obama, who is said to support the idea, the FDA would have new power over big tobacco, including the ability to restrict advertising of cigarettes to children, control nicotine content, and order changes to cigarette package warnings.

Tobacco products are a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S., where an estimated 2.7 million children smoke, and also the largest cause of preventable death. Each year, an estimated 400,000 Americans die from cancer, heart disease, and other diseases linked to tobacco. Officials hope giving the FDA authority over the tobacco industry will reduce the numbers of younger smokers by limiting advertising aimed specifically at children and cut the rate of preventable death associated with cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The Senate panel passed the recommendation by a vote of 15-8, mostly along party lines with Democrats in support and Republicans opposed.

“All of us believe the time has come to act to protect our nation’s children,” said Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.). “Every day we delay another 3,000, 4,000 children begin to smoke.”

Some Critics Question FDA’s Ability

Under the proposed legislation, the FDA would not have power over tobacco farming or tobacco itself, but the agency would be empowered to regulate cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products, which are increasingly popular as states and local governments crack down on smoking in public places.

With the FDA widely criticized for its handling of recent scandals involving outbreaks of contaminated food and dangerously defective drugs and medical devices, critics of the new tobacco rules wonder if the agency is up to the task of monitoring another multi-billion dollar industry. Some tobacco companies, including Philip Morris, support giving the FDA oversight, but others including R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard oppose the plan.

No related posts.