Opinion

FDA oversight means public health victory on tobacco

The federal tobacco regulation law will give physicians needed help in fighting the effects of smoking.

Posted June 29, 2009.

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

As recently as a few years ago, some people still were saying it never could happen. But physicians and other public health champions knew better. And they knew that the lives of many of their most vulnerable patients were just too important to back down from the fight.

That battle was for the common-sense notion that the Food and Drug Administration -- created explicitly to protect consumers from dangerous products -- should have oversight over tobacco. Now, Congress and President Obama have acted after years of disappointment on Capitol Hill and in the courtroom. For the first time, the FDA will be able to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in a way that will save lives.

This historic victory, capped by the president's June 22 signature on the tobacco regulation bill, was a long time coming.

Despite the progress that doctors and public health advocates have made in recent years, tobacco use is still the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the U.S.

Physicians struggle not only to keep patients from taking up smoking and getting them to quit if they have, but also to treat the cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other potentially life-threatening conditions caused by tobacco use. Sometimes it takes the expert hand and caring heart of a doctor who wants his or her patient to live a long, healthy and happy life. Sometimes even that is not enough.

In spite of physicians' best efforts, tobacco use still kills more than 400,000 Americans, sickens many more and costs the health system roughly $96 billion every year. That makes it a problem for all of us, not just those who choose to smoke.

That's why the federal government needed to step up and play a larger role in the battle. FDA regulation will not mean a ban on tobacco. But it will impose requirements on the industry that have the potential to convince many people that lighting up that cigarette or opening that tin of dip does not make for a healthy future.

The agency will have the authority to reduce the highly addictive nicotine content of tobacco products and require manufacturers to disclose exactly what substances go into them. It also will be able to stop the industry from using advertising with misleading claims such as "light," "low-tar" or "mild."

Most important, the government will be better able to help protect our nation's children from falling victim to Big Tobacco. New bans on tobacco ads near schools and sponsorship of sporting events will go a long way toward intercepting the roughly 1,000 kids each day who light up for the first time and become regular smokers.

President Obama acknowledged the AMA's longstanding commitment to this effort to safeguard children's health in his June 15 address to delegates at the Annual Meeting. Hundreds of other organizations with a like-minded commitment to the most vulnerable patients also lent their voices in support of the legislation and helped defeat concerted attempts to derail it once more.

Doctors need to stay vigilant in the bigger battle against tobacco, but it appears that the tide is turning when it comes to the debate over whether nicotine is a harmful drug. When this legislation first emerged a decade ago, many dismissed it as a fantasy. But thanks to the persistence of the AMA and others committed to public health, it is now a reality.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn