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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL EDITORS:
Following A Long Wait, The US Food And Drug Administration Takes
Important Step Toward Bringing More Tobacco Products Under Its
Regulation
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) took a critically important step -
although long overdue and still too limited - to improve the health of
our nation by commencing the formal rulemaking process to bring
additional tobacco products under its jurisdiction. The 2009 Family
Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) gave
the FDA authority to immediately regulate cigarettes, cigarette
tobacco, smokeless tobacco products, and roll-your-own tobacco. But
even though other combustible tobacco products also present great
dangers to both individual and public health, the FDA was required to
take additional steps before it could regulate them. These include
rapidly emerging products which particularly appeal to youth such as
little cigars and hookah. Rules were also required to include
e-cigarettes which have virtually exploded upon the market without any
limitations on their marketing and sale, or oversight of their safety
or ingredients, including separately sold vials of "nicotine juice."
We applaud the FDA's action to take this necessary first step to
regulate electronic cigarettes, little cigars, cigarillos and hookah.
However, we're concerned that these rulemaking proposals may fail to
include premium cigars which would not adequately respond to the
recent call to action by the US Surgeon General to quickly end the use
of all combusted tobacco products. We are also concerned that the
regulations do not immediately ban candy flavored little cigars that
are highly appealing to youth, women, and low socio-economic
populations. We are also disappointed to see no restriction on these
same candy flavors in e-cigarettes.
We welcome the FDA's decision to immediately begin the process for
issuing regulations to extend the prohibition of marketing practices
like free samples, vending machine sales, and outdoor advertising to
all tobacco products and restricting sales of all tobacco products to
those under 18.
According to Robin Koval, President and CEO of Legacy, "We welcome
this important first step in the proposed regulations and plan to be
active participants in the public comment period in an effort to
ensure their rapid implementation. Little cigars and hookah are every
bit as addictive and dangerous as cigarettes and it is essential that
they be subject to the same regulations.
While the evidence is mounting that e-cigarettes are less harmful than
combustible forms of tobacco and may provide real benefits for adults
who want to quit smoking, they have no business being used by or
marketed to young people. With the rise in reports of poisoning, it is
also essential that common-sense manufacturing and sales standards be
imposed immediately." She added, "But at the same time, we are deeply
disappointed that the regulations do not remove candy-flavored tobacco
products and we will strongly urge the FDA to move immediately to take
these products off the market. We will also continue to push FDA to
take the full steps necessary steps to ban all marketing with
significant appeal or reach to youth."
Legacy helps people live longer, healthier lives by building a world
where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Legacy's
proven-effective and nationally recognized public education programs
include truth@, the national youth smoking prevention campaign that
has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth
smoking; EX@, an innovative public health program designed to speak to
smokers in their own language and change the way they approach
quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences
and approaches to reducing tobacco use. Located in Washington, D.C.,
the foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master
Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46
states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more
about Legacy's life-saving programs, visit www.LegacyForHealth.org .
Follow us on Twitter @legacyforhealth and Facebook
www.Facebook.com/Legacy .
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101101/DC86294LOGO
SOURCE Legacy
-0- 04/24/2014
/CONTACT: Julia Cartwright, 202-454-5569, jcartwright@legacyforhealth.org
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101101/DC86294LOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
/Web Site: http://http://www.legacyforhealth.org
CO: Legacy
ST: District of Columbia
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SU: AVO EXE
PRN
-- DC12200 --
0000 04/24/2014 13:50:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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