Tobacco ought to be regulated just as food is
Where the Texas Legislature failed in increasing protections against the harmful effects of cigarette smoke, the U.S. Congress may be able to make some progress.
The state body failed to pass a statewide ban on smoking in public areas during its just completed session. The U.S. Senate, however, has voted to consider a bill next month that could give the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products. The Senate may take a final vote by the end of the week, and President Barack Obama has said he is ready to sign the bill into law should the House concur.
It can’t happen quickly enough.
It should surprise no one that the legislation has long been opposed by the tobacco industry. It could allow consumers to see what chemicals and other additives tobacco companies put in their products and allow the FDA to put new limits on harmful ingredients and prohibit tobacco companies from marketing products as “light” or “mild.”
As a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society put it, “If you look at a box of macaroni and cheese, you can see what kind of dye has been used. All the ingredients are scrutinized to determine whether they are dangerous to consumers’ health. … Not so tobacco. It has remained virtually the only unregulated consumable product in America.”
As the country continues to stand vigil over 400,000 tobacco-related deaths per year, regulation is long overdue.
Certainly, the FDA is not without its shortcomings, and it has earned some just criticism, but what makes more sense — meticulously testing and regulating drugs used to battle illness and not doing the same for products that are known to contain lethal substances — or establishing equally stringent standards for both.
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