Fda tobacco oversight unites society, farmers

  Tobacco Farmers Join ACS in Support of FDA Oversight

The American Cancer Society (ACS) yesterday endorsed the final report of a Presidential Commission tasked with developing recommendations on how to address economic changes in tobacco-growing communities and the public health implications of tobacco use in these same communities. The report, entitled "A Call To Action: Tobacco Communities at a Crossroad," reflects an unprecedented level of cooperation among tobacco farmers and members of the public health community, resulting in a unanimous call for comprehensive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight over manufactured tobacco products.

The 10-member Commission, formally known as the President’s Commission on Improving Economic Opportunity in Communities Dependent on Tobacco Production while Improving Public Health, is comprised of public health advocates, tobacco growers, government officials, and economic development experts. The Commission began its work by executive order in September 2000.

"The Commission’s report is a milestone in our efforts to protect public health and will serve as a roadmap to move forward in the fight against cancer," said John R. Seffrin, PhD, ACS chief executive officer and a member of the Commission. "Simply by sitting down and listening to each other, we have been able to find common ground, most notably in our joint call for meaningful FDA authority over tobacco products."

The public health recommendations of the Commission’s report included calling on Congress to empower the FDA with the authority to oversee the manufacture, sale, marketing, distribution and labeling of tobacco products. The FDA’s role would be comparable to its authority over foods, drugs, and drug delivery devices. The US Department of Agriculture would retain its role as the sole agency responsible for tobacco farm and growing standards.

The report further recommends greater federal support for tobacco prevention and smoking cessation efforts. Tobacco-growing communities suffer higher rates of tobacco related diseases and incur higher health care expenses. The inclusion of smoking cessation programs as a basic Medicare and Medicaid benefit, as suggested in the report, would not only help more people quit smoking, but also would ultimately reduce long-term health costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses. The report also proposes the creation of a grant system providing financial incentives for states that meet minimum standards for prevention and cessation set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to its public health aspects, the report recognizes that tobacco dependent communities face serious economic distress as the result of big tobacco companies’ moves to diversify their businesses and buy foreign grown tobacco. Economic development initiatives as well as a restructured federal tobacco program must serve as the cornerstone in efforts to help growers raise other crops and launch new enterprises.

The Commission has proposed a 17-cent increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes to finance these efforts and eventually to fund public health programs as well.

Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and is also a major cause of heart and lung disease. Lung cancer mortality rates are more than 20 times higher for current male smokers and 12 times higher for current female smokers compared to lifelong nonsmokers. In addition to being responsible for 87 percent of lung cancers, smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney and bladder.

About the author:


http://www.cancer.org

More health information - More smoking information