New Smoking Industry Bans and Restrictions Are Now in Effect on the United States Federal Level

Cartoon courtesy of quit guide.com.

As we’ve just hit the one year anniversary of the U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, several new bans and limits against the industry are now in effect as of that date.

Among the newly effective provisions, the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration - which regulates tobacco products - has prohibited the advertising or labeling of tobacco products with the descriptions ‘light, mild, or low,’ without agency approval.

In a speech last month to an audience from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Lawrence Deyton, the director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, explained that the “FDA has the authority to enforce truth in advertising.

“For example, we know the harm done by the use of the terms ‘light, low, and mild.’ I’ve really got to hand it to the industry, this was a hugely effective marketing strategy. So effective, millions of smokers came to believe that switching to a brand labeled as ‘light, low, or mild’ is the next best thing to quitting.

“Of course, we know that was just a gimmick. There is no demonstrable difference to the public health and population health by the use of those products. That’s why, effective June 22, (2010) we will ban the manufacture of cigarettes labeled as ‘light, low, and mild,’ without FDA approval.”

Philip Morris USA - one of the first to announce compliance with the new regulations - agrees with the FDA, saying that, “No aspect of any of our cigarettes should be interpreted as suggesting that any cigarette is less risky or results in less exposure to harmful compounds than any other cigarette.

Graphic courtesy of Edinboro University.

“The amount of tar, nicotine, or other constituents in (the) smoke a smoker inhales from a cigarette can vary based upon how a smoker smokes. The amount a smoker inhales will be higher, for example, if a smoker blocks ventilations holes, inhales more deeply, takes more puffs, or smokes more cigarettes. There is no safe cigarette. If smokers are concerned about the risks of cigarette smoking, the best thing is to quit.”

In an efforts to prevent young people from becoming smokers in the first place, Dr. Deyton, said, “We’re placing new restrictions on marketing and promotions such as setting a national minimum age of 18 for purchases, and a minimum pack size of 20 cigarettes. And we’re also banning free cigarette samples and restricting free smokeless samples, (and) banning the brand-name sponsorship of sporting events and concerts.”

He went on to say that the “FDA also has the authority to propose new graphic pack warning labels that are going to take up 50 percent of the front and back of each cigarette pack and box.”

Last September, in a letter to the FDA, Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, cited a study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, which “assessing the impact of warning labels in four different countries, the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, concluded that the larger, more prominent the warning label, the greater the level of awareness of the warning and the greater the perception of effectiveness among smokers.

“Additionally, in comparing changes to warning labels in the UK and Canada, the study concluded that while larger, more prominent text-based warnings are effective, graphic warnings may be even more effective.

“Assessing the impact of graphic warning labels in Canada found that approximately one-fifth of adult smokers reported smoking less as a result of the labels, and more generally, smokers that reported a negative emotion in response to the graphic warning label were more likely to have quit, attempted to quit, or reduced their smoking.”

Image courtesy of babble.com.

In a attempt to curb smoking among younger, less established smokers, the FDA has also just prohibited the sale of tobacco products in vending machines, except in limited adult-only venues.

Dr. Deyton said that, “Every year nearly 4,000 kids younger than age 18 try their first cigarette, and 1,000 kids younger than age 18 become daily smokers. Many of these kids will become addicted before they are old enough to understrand the risks and will ultimately die too young of tobacco-related diseases.”

Mr. Smith told the FDA that, “Despite our efforts, tobaccco use remains the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S., responsible for more than 443,000 deaths each year.

“Tobacco use accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and an increased risk of at least 15 different types of cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke, and several lung diseases.”

For help to quit smoking, the FDA provides the following resources:

• Calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or TTY 1-800-332-8615 for support including: free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational material, and referrals to local resources.
• Clicking on smokefree.gov, which provides assistance in the form of:
  • An online step-by-step quitting guide.
  • Local, state, and national telephone quit lines.
  • An instant message service.
  • Tools and publications.

Reader comments and input are always welcomed!