New FDA Rules Mean Big Changes in Tobacco Market

According to The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), reducing the use of tobacco by minors by 50 percent would prevent well over 10,000,000 of today's children from becoming regular, daily smokers, saving more than three million of them from premature death due to tobacco-induced disease.

 

So, starting June 22, 2010, new FDA regulations go into effect that restrict the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to protect the public health generally and to reduce tobacco use by children and adolescents. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was overwhelmingly approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama one year ago, grants the FDA new authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing and distribution of tobacco products.

 

The most visible change can be observed on store shelves starting tomorrow as the law now regulates "reduced harm" claims about tobacco products to prevent inaccurate and misleading claims. It prohibits the use of descriptors, such as "light", "mild" and "low," to characterize a product on labels or in advertising. In anticipation of the new rules, tobacco companies planned to use color-coded packaging to replace the terms "light," "low" and "mild." Lighter colors will signify light cigarettes.

 

Philip Morris USA is removing these terms where they appear from its packaging and advertising. Its styles of iconic Marlboro brand as Marlboro Lights will be renamed to Marlboro Gold, Marlboro Ultra Lights will to Marlboro Silver and Marlboro Menthol Mild to Marlboro Menthol Blue. Similarly, R.J. Reynolds has made changes, including renaming Salem Ultra Lights, which are sold in a silver box, to Salem Silver Box, and Camel Lights are now known as Camel Blue Pack.

 

Among its many rules, the law also:

-- Requires large text warning labels for smokeless tobacco products that take up at least 30 percent of each principal display panel of the package and at least 20 percent of advertisements.

-- Calls tobacco companies to provide the FDA with information about their products. This information will allow the agency to determine how best to reduce the harm they cause and to better educate the public about the health effects of tobacco use and the dozens of toxic substances in tobacco products.

-- Bans branded product tie-ins, such as t-shirts, with cigarette and other tobacco purchases.

-- Prohibits sales of cigarettes in packages of fewer than 20 cigarettes. Some retailers split packs, making cigarettes more affordable and accessible to youth.

 

For more information, go to www.fda.gov.