© 2004 by Oxford University Press
© 2004 Oxford University Press
NEWS |
In Brief
FDA Could Get Power To Regulate Tobacco
A bill introduced to Congress on May 20 would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products. The FDA cannot regulate tobacco unless Congress gives it the authority to do so, according to a 1996 Supreme Court ruling.
The Youth Smoking Prevention and Public Health Protection Act would allow the FDA to regulate the sale, marketing, and advertising of tobacco products, although the agency would not be allowed to ban cigarettes. Also, all tobacco products would have to be approved by the FDA, which would be able to evaluate the health risks associated with the products. The agency could require manufacturers to reduce, though not remove, nicotine in their products.
In addition, use of the terms "light" and "ultralight" in advertising would be prohibited under the new legislation, and manufacturers of "reduced risk" tobacco products would not be allowed to make safety claims about their products unless specifically permitted to do so by the FDA. The bill would also give the FDA broad authority to regulate tobacco advertising, especially advertising aimed at children.
The legislation is being sponsored by Senators Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Representatives Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and has received support from both the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Philip Morris USA. Senator Kennedy said in a statement that they believe there is a good chance that the bill could be enacted this year.
Surgeon General's Report Strengthens Position on Tobacco-Related Diseases
In 1964, the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health concluded that smoking is the cause of lung cancer, larynx cancer, and chronic bronchitis. Forty years and more than two dozen reports later, the most recent Surgeon General's Report introduces new categories for strength of evidence—and puts more than 30 diseases and conditions in its most definitive category.
The report concludes that smoking harms nearly every organ of the body; quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits; low-tar and "reduced" nicotine cigarettes provide no clear advantage over regular cigarettes; and it adds several diseases to the list of those caused by smoking, including acute myeloid leukemia, pneumonia, periodontitis, and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas, and stomach.
The report also introduces new categories for strength of evidence that will be used from this report forward: The evidence is sufficient to infer a causal relationship, suggestive but not sufficient to infer a causal relationship, inadequate to infer the presence or absence of a causal relationship, or suggestive of no causal relationship.
The 960-page report is available at www.surgeongeneral.gov. See related News articles on p. 898 and p. 900.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||