FDA Chief doesn't want tobacco regulation

by Brian White (Subscribe to Brian White's posts)
Mar 7th 2007 9:15AM

The pressure from some groups for the U.S. government to regulate the manufacture and sale of tobacco is finding a foe in the current chief of the Federal Drug Administration. The head of the FDA stated government regulation of tobacco would cause smokers to light up more and inhale more deeply as an indirect result.

Not sure where that data came from or how those stats were measured and compiled, but the FDA chief stated that if the FDA reduced nicotine levels in cigarettes, people would tailor their smoking habits to maintain current levels of the addictive drug. There is probably a portion of that which is true -- but how does one know?

Truth is, nobody knows -- the only way to see if to lower the nicotine levels and see how smokers react. It's anybody's guess and for those addicted to the drug known as the cigarette, they'll keep puffing away for now.

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Ian A. Paul 3-07-2007 @ 12:00PM

"Quote: Truth is, nobody knows -- the only way to see if to lower the nicotine levels and see how smokers react. It's anybody's guess and for those addicted to the drug known as the cigarette, they'll keep puffing away for now."

It would be absurd to advocate smoking cigarettes, of course, but the fact is, reglating cigarttes as anti-smoking fanatics are advocating would, with out a doubt, have precisely the effect that the FDA chief has said it would have. The above argument to the contrary is naive and, no doubt, the rationalization of a youngster who is ruled more by agenda than an interest in the truth or actual facts. The truth is, the head of the FDA probably does know, as do many other Americans old enough to remember when filtered cigarettes first began to permeate the cigarette industry. Filters on cigarettes reduce the amount of nicotine (and thus reduces the effect smokers crave), resulting in the smoker smoking more cigarettes more often to get the "needed" nicotine. It's well-known that filterless cigarette smokers generally smoke fewer cigarettes than those who smoke filtered cigarettes. Thus, any regulation of smoking that reduces the amount of nicotine in cigarettes will have precisely the effect stated.