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FDA chief: Regulating tobacco could be harmful Proposed law would give agency power to cut cigarette nicotine levels WASHINGTON - AP, March 6, 2007- Government regulation of tobacco could backfire by inadvertently forcing smokers to light up more and inhale more deeply, the head of the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said that if the FDA reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes, people would tailor their smoking habits to maintain current levels of the addictive drug. “We could find ourselves in the conundrum of having made a decision about nicotine only to have made the public health radically worse. And that is not the position FDA is in; we approve products that enhance health, not destroy it,” said von Eschenbach, a cancer surgeon. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation last month that would give the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco, in part by reducing its nicotine content. Smoking kills more than 400,000 Americans a year. Von Eschenbach said repeatedly that the issue of regulating tobacco is a complex one. “What I don’t want to see happen is that we are in a position where we are determining that a cigarette is safe,” von Eschenbach said. In 1996, the FDA moved to regulate tobacco. The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that Congress had not authorized the agency to do so. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Below this news story are American Association of Public Health Physicians' (AAPHP) lists of health groups and advocates that oppose the FDA tobacco legislation (S.625/H.R.1108 as introduced). HEALTH COMMUNITY POSITIONS ON S.625/H.R.1108 AS OF 2007-03-06 [based on personal communications with AAPHP since 2007-03-01] * HEALTH GROUPS PUBLICLY OPPOSED TO S.625/H.R.1108: American Association of Public Health Physicians American Council on Science and Health Family Counseling Center/Adult Adolescent Alcohol Treatment Maryland Group Against Smoker's Pollution Metropolitan Healthy Communities Coalition (Kansas City) Smokefree Pennsylvania Smoking & Tobacco Education Campaign Toxic-Tobacco Law Coalition HEALTH PROFESSIONALS/ADVOCATES PUBLICLY OPPOSED TO S.625/HR1108: Timothy P. Barth, MD, CCHP - Detroit MI Alan Blum, MD - Tuscaloosa AL Laurie Comstock - Elk Grove CA Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH - Olympia WA Joel Dunnington, MD - Houston TX Terence A. Gerace, EdM, MA, PhD - Washington DC Gary A. Giovino, PhD - Buffalo NY Michael S. Givel, PhD - Norman OK William T. Godshall, MPH - Pittsburgh PA Arvind K. Goyal, MD, MPH - Rolling Meadows IL Fred Grannis, MD - Long Beach CA Anne Landman - Glade Park CO Steve Landman, MSW, LCSW, CAC III - Grand Junction CO Robert L. Mahan - Houston TX Marcia Marks - Bethesda MD Joseph L. Murphy, MD, FACP, AGSF - Chicago IL Joel L. Nitzkin, MD, MPH, DPA - New Orleans LA John O'Hara, PhD - Bowie MD Donald A. Potts, MD - Kansas City MO Alfio Rausa, MD, MPH - Greenwood MS Vicki Voldal Rosenau - Valley City ND Michael Siegel, MD, MPH - Boston MA Bonnie Sumner, MEd - Milwaukee WI HEALTH GROUPS PUBLICLY SUPPORTING S.625/H.R.1108: See list at http://help.senate.gov/Maj_press/2007_02_26.pdf. * DISCLAIMERS and TERMS OF USE * Each listing is based on the most recent communication deemed reliable by AAPHP. The bill may be amended in either house of Congress. Some individuals and groups may have changed their position since their last communication with AAPHP. Every individual and group has a different set of reasons for their position on this bill. Please contact the various groups, or check Web sites, to find out the basis for each group's position. We cannot guarantee this list to be error-free, but we will do our best to provide accurate and timely information. Please contact AAPHP's secretary at aaphp@reachone.com with any requested addition, deletion, change, or correction to this list. The list will be posted, in updated form as deemed appropriate, at http://www.aaphp.org/WebLinks/stakeholders.html. This list may be reproduced, forwarded, and posted elsewhere. When making this list available to others, please include the date if possible. If feasible, please let others know they can request additions, changes, or deletions by contacting the compiler at aaphp@reachone.com. Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH Secretary, American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP) aaphp@reachone.com (end) ----------------------- More information: http://www.aaphp.org Read more on this subject: Loophole in tobacco regulation bill - A loophole in a sweeping tobacco regulation bill would give the industry a 21-month window to introduce some new products without first getting federal approval. . . (more) Tobacco Bill Aids Philip Morris, Not Health - All this bill would do is give a perception that cigarettes and other tobacco products are approved by the FDA . . . (more) FDA chief: Regulating tobacco could be harmful - Proposed law would give agency power to cut cigarette nicotine levels. Kicking Butt - The International Fight Against Tobacco Careful what you wish for - The FDA would gain the power to regulate tobacco products The Untold Story of - How & Why Philip Morris is Pushing for FDA Regulation Statement of Senator Edward M. Kennedy on:**The Need For FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products Ted and Henry Camel - It's not surprising that Democrats Ted Kennedy and Henry Waxman are promoting something called "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." But you'll never guess who else is thrilled by their proposal: the Marlboro Man himself.		More on this subject: Loophole in tobacco regulation bill - A loophole in a sweeping tobacco regulation bill would give the industry a 21-month window to introduce some new products without first getting federal approval. . . (read more) Tobacco Bill Aids Philip Morris, Not Health - All this bill would do is give a perception that cigarettes and other tobacco products are approved for sale by the FDA . . . (read more) How cigarette smokers under age 18 usually get cigarettes - About one-third of students in grades 6-8 usually obtain cigarettes through social sources (borrowed them: 23.3%, got from someone older than 18 years old: 8.8%) . . . (read more) Cigarette Smoking Statistics - In the United States, an estimated 25.1 million men (23.4 percent) and 20.9 million women (18.5 percent) are smokers. These people are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. (more) FDA chief: Regulating tobacco could be harmful - Proposed law would give agency power to cut cigarette nicotine levels. Careful what you wish for - The FDA would gain the power to regulate tobacco products The Untold Story of - How & Why Philip Morris is Pushing for FDA Regulation Statement of Senator Edward M. Kennedy on: The Need For FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products Ted and Henry Camel - It's not surprising that Senator Ted Kennedy and Congressman Henry Waxman are promoting something called "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." But you'll never guess who else is thrilled by their proposal: the Marlboro Man himself. Kicking Butt - The International fight Against Tobacco Secondhand Smoke - According to the Mayo Clinic, 60 of the more than 4,000 chemicals that comprise secondhand cigarette smoke are carcinogenic and can linger in the air . . . Secondhand Smoke - Bans on smoking in cars with kids catching out nationwide . . . Secondhand Smoke -Secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer by about 25 percent in non-smokers and can be especially dangerous for children living with smokers . . . To Read More - Click here
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