The FDA and tobacco control: New hope for action

With bipartisan legislation reintroduced in both the House and Senate and a Democratic majority in Congress, public health advocates hope that the push to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco products might be passed.

Editorial. March 26, 2007.

Food and Drug Administration oversight of cigarettes and other tobacco products has been a priority among tobacco control advocates for some time. What could set this year apart, though, is evidence that momentum for action finally may be building.

Exhibit A: The bipartisan legislation reintroduced last month in both the House and Senate to install such a regulatory framework.

The measure, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, would let the agency restrict the advertising and promotion of tobacco products to children, and require larger and more informative health warnings. It would force tobacco companies to disclose the contents of their products as well as research about the health effects of these products. It also would allow the agency to require changes, such as the removal of harmful ingredients or the reduction of nicotine levels. It would not give the agency power to ban tobacco.

Exhibit B: This legislation's widespread support.

Introduced in the Senate by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D, Mass.) and John Cornyn (R, Texas) and in the House by Reps. Henry Waxman (D, Calif.) and Tom Davis (R, Va.), the bill already has been the subject of a Senate hearing. It also has the backing of a range of public health organizations, including the American Medical Association, which has long-standing policy supporting FDA regulation of tobacco. Others, including the American Heart Assn., American Lung Assn., American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, are among its advocates.