News Releases
June 22, 2010
Contact: Cinderella Lee
Communications Manager
Public Health Institute
(510) 285-5533
Public Health Institute President Heralds ‘New Day’ for Tobacco Control as FDA Starts Regulating the Industry
OAKLAND, CA --
New U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco regulations that go into effect today are a major step toward ensuring that the tobacco industry does not continue to lure generations of children and youth into a lifetime of smoking, the Public Health Institute (PHI) said today.
“This action has the power to stop Big Tobacco from pushing addictive and ultimately lethal products on innocent children,” said John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and a PHI board member. “It is time to end Big Tobacco’s unfettered access to our nation’s youth, 3,500 of whom will pick up their first cigarette today.”
The regulations are part of the historic Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, signed into law by President Obama one year ago, that gave the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products. They restrict the sale, distribution and promotion of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products, making them less accessible and appealing to children and adolescents.
“Until now, the tobacco industry was beyond the FDA’s reach, so this is a new day for tobacco control in this country and it’s long overdue,” said Mary A. Pittman, president and CEO of PHI. “Even with the new regulations in place, however, we must remain vigilant and find ways to go further to counter an industry that uses aggressive tactics to recruit young people for its next wave of customers.”
The new rules include bans on: the sale of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to minors; the sale of cigarette packages containing fewer than 20 cigarettes; free samples of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco; the sponsorship of sports, musical or other social events by a tobacco brand; the giveaway of merchandise such as T-shirts with brand names tied to tobacco product purchases; and vending machines with tobacco products except in adult-only locations.
The regulations are the culmination of a long effort to give the FDA the power to regulate tobacco as it does other consumer products such as food and drugs. The agency first adopted similar regulations in 1996 that were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, which found the FDA lacked the authority to regulate the tobacco industry. Last year, Congress passed the act, which gave the FDA authority and set June 22, 2010, as the date the regulations and other provisions in the law would become effective.
The new law also provides that the words “light,” “low” and “mild’ can no longer be used in ads, packaging and marketing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. Larger warning labels must also appear on smokeless tobacco products beginning today and on cigarette packages in 18 months.
Each day, 1,000 children and teenagers become regular smokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At such a young age, these new customers cannot know the risks they are taking of becoming addicted or developing tobacco-related diseases that can kill them. More than 443,000 Americans die each year from heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses linked to tobacco use.
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