Posts

FDA Completes First Round of Compliance Checks to Protect Children From Tobacco Products

/in /by

Pennsylvania is one of the first 15 states to undergo compliance checks for new rules against selling tobacco products to minors under the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.   The Food and Drug Administration now oversees the marketing and sales of tobacco products.

Over three thousand establishments were inspected in Pennsylvania and over 120 warning letters were issued.  Ann Simoneau Director of the FDA’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement for Tobacco Products says violators ranged from big chains to mom and pop stores.  The new provisions of the laws include not selling to a minor, verifying the age of a purchaser if they’re less than 27 years of age by photo ID, and not giving away free samples of cigarettes.

Simoneau says they have a searchable database. People can go to the web site and see if a retailer was inspected and if they passed.  She says they also post every warning letter, detailing what the violations were at each establishment.

They hope retailers will fully train employees about the new requirements of the law and stress the importance of not selling cigarettes to minors. Simoneau says while most in Pennsylvania passed the inspections, and they applaud those efforts, 120 establishments where kids can buy these tobacco products are still too many.

Simoneau hopes retailers will pay attention; continued violations can result in some hefty fines.

Food and Drug Administration Unveils New Cigarette Warning Labels

/in /by

The Food and Drug Administration has unveiled nine new cigarette warning labels. The warnings will take up the top 50% of a pack of cigarettes and 20% of an advertisement for cigarettes.  They include graphic images of diseases related to smoking, such as lung disease and oral cancer. Tobacco companies have until September 2012 to comply.

Dr. Lawrence Deyton, Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, says the warning labels have not changed in 25 years.  He says the average smoker no longer realizes that there’s a health warning on a pack of cigarettes.  He says scientific literature shows inclusion of a graphic image and a specific warning does help smokers increase their personal knowledge about their risk.

Dr. Deyton says for decades, the rates of smoking had been declining, but in the 7- 8 years, it has leveled off to 20%.  He says 1 in 5 high school kids smoke cigarettes.  The new labels are required as part of a law passed by Congress,  the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act.

Dr. Deyton says the new warnings convey the very personal and true risk of cigarette smoking.

He says the FDA started with 36 images and tested them extensively to determine which had the most impact.  He says they considered whether it educated the person looking at it, whether the person could recall the image and whether it changed the viewer’s beliefs about their own health risk and their intent to quit, or not to start smoking.

He says the warning also includes the 1-800-Quit-Now number, the national helpline. He says when a smoker picks up a pack with the new labels, there’s a resource they can act on instantly to get the help they need to stop smoking.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tobacco use is a leading cause of premature and preventable death in the United States.