FDA Proposed Legislation

[Cigarmark]

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[SIZE=4]Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Proposed Legislation--Oversight and Regulation of Tobacco Products

[/SIZE][SIZE=2]Bill Approved in U.S. House Subcommittee

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March 20, 2008- House Resolution (HR) 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, proposed legislation that would grant the FDA certain authority to regulate tobacco products passed the U.S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce-Subcommittee on Health.

[SIZE=2]The House full Energy and Commerce Committee will try to take this up in April and the House perhaps before Memorial Day.
Several things could cause delay but the House leadership wants to move this. In the Senate, given the schedule, Sen. Burr probably has the ability to block it given the tight schedule for floor time. However, if RJR decides to throw in the towel then Burr might let it go. In addition, Sen. Kennedy is occupied with the campaign and may not want to devote the time to try to move it. The cynical view is why would the Democrats want to go now when the industry is funding their campaign? And there is always the possibility that the anti's will want to wait until next year and get an even more punitive bill. UST's jumping on board the house bill didn't help.[/SIZE]

It is important to note that though the legislation would grant the FDA authority of tobacco products, only cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco would be immediately subject to regulation. Cigars and pipe tobacco could only be included for regulation if the FDA proposes to do so through an administrative rulemaking process. To date, we do not expect that to come to fruition.

IPCPR will continue to update you as information and news becomes available

[SUOrangeGuy]

Everything I have read about this said the FDA doesn't want anything to do with this. They would have to declare a "safe" amount of tobacco as all their other drugs. As you can imagine this doesn't mesh with the one smoke will hurt you mentality of the anti-smoking lobby.

[n2advnture]

Yeah, FDA has no desire to regulate a loose-loose battle for them.

The one thing I DO think would be beneficial with the FDA regulating tobacco is that it could prompt more second hand smoke studies (like the first World Health Organization's second hand smoke study that was buried). These studies would greatly help distinguish between the affects of cigar / pipe tobacco smoking VS. cigarette smoking health affects.

Possibly allowing for exemptions in bans for pipe & cigar smokers (doubt it though).

If more studies like the first World Health Organization's second hand smoke study that was buried, more people will have a different view about second hand smoke but all they hear is the BS "that second hand smoke kills".

~Mark

PS - I linked the study on my site in case you want to read it.

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[ghostrider]

What about the ATF? So we'd have one gov't agency regulating the sale and transportation of tobacco products, and now we might have the FDA regulating the quality of the product?

You know, for such a "dangerous", "addictive", and overall "unhealthy" product, we sure do have a lot of people working a lot of hours, making lots of people lots of money to ensure that we the people pay lots of taxes on this product.

Thank God the government is looking out for our best interests.

[fizguy]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

What about the ATF? So we'd have one gov't agency regulating the sale and transportation of tobacco products, and now we might have the FDA regulating the quality of the product?

You know, for such a "dangerous", "addictive", and overall "unhealthy" product, we sure do have a lot of people working a lot of hours, making lots of people lots of money to ensure that we the people pay lots of taxes on this product.

Thank God the government is looking out for our best interests.