Question: The possibility of FDA regulation of tobacco products has been an ongoing topic since at least the early 1990s. Why do some think the FDA should regulate tobacco products and what have been some of the issues that complicate how they might do this?
Answer 1: “If somebody invented cigarettes today, the government would not legalize them.” ~Loni Anderson
Unfortunately, cigarettes have been making a mark in the documented world as far back as 1518. More specifically, cigarettes have been impacting American society since the late 1800s (Hart and Kasir, 2011). Despite the negative health effects (assumed and proven), tobacco has raised years of controversial debate concerning whether or not a need for FDA regulation exists.
To start, it is controversial because tobacco has been excluded from the food genre as well as the listing of drugs. The drugs controlled by the FDA all have a therapeutic benefit. Tobacco has no such thing. The policing of tobacco use including ingredients, packaging, sales, and marketing tactics have surfaced as the alternative benefits of FDA regulation.
President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009; dealing with those same alternative benefits listed to name a few. In addition to consumers misinterpreting labels and FDA involvement to insinuate “FDA approved,” tobacco companies are fighting. Several consider the act and effects of the act to be restricting to their constitutional rights to free speech. All of these issues create complications.
Answer 2: Some think the FDA should regulate tobacco products for many different reasons. In 1604, King James of England says that tobacco is harmful to the brain and dangerous to the lungs. People see tobacco as a drug, and if they are going to regulate the drug industry, then they should also regulate the tobacco industry. The issues that complicate how the FDA should regulate tobacco products are because tobacco has been