FDA Rule Restricts Tobacco Sales, Marketing

The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule today that broadly restricts the sale, distribution and promotion of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to children - but it's not exactly a novel undertaking.

The rule was first issued in 1996, but was struck down when the Supreme Court in 2000 held the FDA did not have the authority to regulate tobacco.

That changed on June 22, 2009, when President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. That law called for the FDA to reissue the rule.

The rule:

Bans the sale of tobacco to people under 18.

Prohibits selling packs of cigarettes containing fewer than 20 cigarettes.

Forbids the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in vending machines except in very limited circumstances.

Prohibits free samples of cigarettes and limits distribution of smokeless tobacco products.

The rule also cracks down on tobacco marketing. It “prohibits tobacco brand name sponsorship of any athletic, musical, or other social or cultural event, or any team or entry in those events.”

Tobacco makers also can’t give gifts or other items in exchange for buying their products, and the sale or distribution of items, such as hats and tee shirts with tobacco brands or logos is banned. Also, audio ads for tobacco can only use words – no music or sound effects are allowed.

The rule goes into effect on June 22.

“Every day nearly 4,000 kids under 18 try their first cigarette and 1,000 kids under 18 become daily smokers. Many of these kids will become addicted before they are old enough to understand the risks and will ultimately die too young. This is an avoidable personal tragedy for those kids and their families as well as a preventable public health disaster for our country,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in a statement. “Putting these restrictions in place is necessary to protect the health of those we care most about: our children.”

Public health organization Legacy applauded the rule. “As a sign of how far the country has come, this rule is only one part of the comprehensive regulatory approach established by the [family smoking prevention act] that now applies to tobacco,” said Legacy president Cheryl Healton in a statement. “We welcome today’s FDA action as an important, historic step.”

Comments

[Electronic Cigarettes]

When do the FDA people got ideas to save people? Tobacco cigarette contains 4300 chemicals in it. But still tobacco smokes are on fire. But Electronic cigarette contains just an vapor liquid which contains some half gram amount of nicotine in it. But FDA are trying to ban it why its happening? Money is talking for FDA's Lips.

[Hazel]

It's great that there is now a rule for tobacco usage and selling especially to children. I know a lot who are getting addicted to smoking, too bad that they are too young for the addiction.

[Stop the Big Corporate Alcohol Takeover]

When will we start taking on Big Alcohol, which is even worse than tobacco? Binge drinking among college and high school students is on the rise, and corporate alcohol giants remain free to advertise ubiquitously and target kids of all ages. From sports sponsorships to magazine ads to LIMITLESS commercials on programs with a young viewership, like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, and MORE..... tobacco has been demonized to the point of obliteration - but alcohol gets a free pass. How many more deaths will we need to see before we wake up to it's deadly killing power? In the end, no one beats his wife under the influence of nicotine, nor kills others on the road from smoking a cigarette. But countless lives are RUINED every day from the ravages of alcohol. And yet, cigarette taxes are $4-5 a pack or more in some places (costing $8-9 retail), while beer is taxes at less 1/3 of a penny a glass. We need to get just as serious about alcohol as we have with other deadly drugs. Limitations on advertising and where alcohol can be consumed - ie, not in "family/children" areas, like Oktoberfest, county fairs, et al - are critically important, as are more public service ads to educate the public and discourage drinking. Alcohol CAUSES cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, and impaired cognition - just look at the research. Instead, we only hear about it's so-called "benefits," all from research funded by Big Corporate Alcohol. Oh, wait a minute - isn't that what big tobacco did too? Until we cut it off? So why are we giving alcohol such a free pass? It's time to change. GET ACTIVE in your schools, your community, and write to your elected officials - raise the tax on alcohol, prevent underage drinking, and get the facts out about its risks. Don't let it go on like it is today..... with nothing happening at all to protect our children and public health. jkanony@gmail.com

[Oscar in Miami Beach]

Great.Tobacco should be prohibited all together.It should be considered a drug and controlled just as marijuana or cocaine.It is addictive and causes the same health problems.When I started smoking it was chic and movie stars promoted it.46 years later,in 2003,I ended up with lung cancer and immediately stop smoking but the damage had been done.Now I'm sorry I smoke at all.It is stupid to smoke cigarettes knowing what we know now about it's deleterious effects.Only dumb people smoke.

[generic viagra]

“The most common pitfall is sharing an idea or a product with too few influencers and expecting to move the needle. An influencer is bound to take the message further than the average person. However brands may need to engage hundreds of influencers at a time to have quantitative results that show the impact of their efforts.