Feds Address Unregulated Tobacco Products
In a move advocated by organized dentistry, the U.S Food and Drug Administration has approved a rule extending its authority to e-cigarettes, along with all tobacco products, including cigars and hookah and pipe tobacco.
In a move advocated by organized dentistry, the U.S Food and Drug Administration has approved a rule extending its authority to e-cigarettes, along with all tobacco products, including cigars and hookah and pipe tobacco. The new rule supports the goals of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, which places an emphasis on preventing the use of all forms of tobacco, especially among young people. “This is an important step in the fight for a tobacco-free generation,” notes U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. “It will help us catch up with changes in the marketplace.”
Prior to this development, no federal laws regulated the sale of e-cigarettes, hookah and pipe tobacco or cigars to children under 18. The new rule — which takes effect Aug. 3 — changes that by prohibiting the sale of all tobacco products to people younger than 18, in person or online.
The tighter regulations are supported by the American Dental Association (ADA), which considers tobacco use an oral health advocacy issue. “The ADA is working with policymakers, public health leaders, and others to help prevent oral cancer, pharyngeal cancer, and other oral diseases associated with tobacco use,” the association states on its website. “The ADA is especially concerned about the oral health impact of the latest generation of tobacco products, including ecigarettes, e-cigarette cartridges, dissolvable tobacco, tobacco gels and more.”
From Decisions in Dentistry. July 2016;1(09):10.
