New Rule Gives FDA Tighter Grip on Tobacco, Says American Heart Association

Washington, D.C. - American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown issued the following comments today on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) release of the final tobacco deeming rule that gives the agency authority to regulate tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, hookah and cigars:

“At last, Americans can breathe a sigh of relief now that all tobacco products have the federal oversight they’ve needed for a very long time. The American Heart Association has strongly advocated for across-the-board FDA regulation, and we applaud the FDA for issuing the final deeming rule that will do just that.

All tobacco products present risk. That’s why it was absolutely necessary for the FDA to assert its authority over these products. We commend the FDA for taking this significant step to protect the cardiovascular health of Americans and prevent children from starting down a dangerous and addictive path.

Keeping cigars, e-cigarettes and hookah out of the hands of young Americans should be a top priority for the agency now that the FDA’s jurisdiction has been extended. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that e-cigarette use among U.S. teens has tripled in just one year. Similarly, hookah use has roughly doubled in middle and high school students, and cigar use remains high; every day more teenage boys start using tobacco with a cigar for the first time rather than a cigarette. Now, thanks to this new rule, more potential tobacco users will hopefully be steered clear from taking that first puff during adolescence. Research and tobacco surveillance shows that effective regulation of tobacco products helps reduce tobacco use in both youths and adults.

While the rule addresses the important issue of flavoring, we would have liked to see candy and fruit flavors banned outright for all tobacco products. According to a CDC-FDA study, seven out of 10 middle and high school students who currently use tobacco use a flavored product. While we are pleased that the FDA intends to issue a separate rule prohibiting characterizing flavors in cigars, we continue to encourage the FDA to extend the ban to e-cigarettes. Tough regulation is needed or tobacco companies will only continue to use cunning tactics and sweet flavors in an attempt to entice a new generation of kids to a lifetime of nicotine addiction.

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