Reynolds files Citizen Petition urging FDA to change misleading mandatory smokeless tobacco warning

[Bill Godshall]

Arguing that the current text of the warning label is “misleading,” RJ Reynolds tobacco Company and American Snuff Company filed a Citizen Petition on July 28, 2011 requesting the US Food and Drug Administration, which recently cited a technology problem to account for its much delayed response, to initiate a rulemaking procedure to adjust the smokeless tobacco (ST) product warning label statement from “WARNING: This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes” to “WARNING: No tobacco product is safe, but this product presents substantially lower risks to health than cigarettes.”

In the petition, RJRT states the adjusted wording would make the statement non-misleading and would promote greater public understanding of the risks associated with ST use. To download a copy of the 54-page petition, or to post comments, go to Regulations.gov

 

[Placebo Effect]

Ummm ... Can common citizens join them on a Citizen Petition, because I'd certainly like to.

 

[GIMike]

BT doing something that could help us out I want to like what they're doing, but wonder if I should or not....makes me feel...dirty....

 

[Bill Godshall]

I encourage all tobacco harm reduction advocates to submit comments to the FDA endorsing Reynolds' proposal.

I unsuccessfully urged Congress to amend that warning label in the FSPTCA from 2004-2009, but Waxman, Kennedy, CTFK/ACS/AHA/ALA vehemently opposed the proposal.

And since 2009 when the FSPTCA was enacted, I've repeatedly urged FDA to propose regulations to change that misleading warning label.

 

[Vocalek]

GI Mike, quite a few of our ECF members rely on snus to supply some of the "what's missing" in e-cigarette vapor. Those who don't care for snus may find that dissolvable orbs such as Stonewall work as well as Nicorette lozenges and are much more affordable. Currently, dissolvables carry the same warnings and there is zero evidence they are any more harmful than NRTs.

Keep in mind that if those misleading labels stand as-is on smokeless tobacco, there is always the potential that the FDA will want to slap them onto e-cigs when they decide to regulate them.

The issue is truth, not necesarily personal feelings about tobacco companies. I have to wonder how many thousands of smokers thought about switching to smokeless, but looked at the label and said, "I might as well smoke." Carl Phillips et al. wrote an interesting article on the topic of misleading information about tobacco.

Phillips CV, Wang C, Guenzel B. You might as well smoke; the misleading and harmful public message about smokeless tobacco. BMC Public Health. 2005 Apr 5;5:31 You might as well smoke; the misleading and harmful public message about smokeless tobacco

 

[GIMike]

Don't get me wrong. I think this is a great thing. It just sucks that BT is the one pushing this and because it's BT, somebody might pay attention. People like Bill get out there and do it, and it gets blown off. That's why I feel dirty....

 

[rothenbj]

Ummm ... Can common citizens join them on a Citizen Petition, because I'd certainly like to.

Ditto on that thought. I just had my dental appointment today and the hygienist commented on how much better my gums looked and that they were firming up (a good thing, I asked!). She knows I quit smoking and have been using an E Cig, but I've kept the snus use to myself. Don't want any tobacco prejudice to enter into any of their observations.

 

[rothenbj]

BT doing something that could help us out I want to like what they're doing, but wonder if I should or not....makes me feel...dirty....

You think the tobacco industry is dirty, look at what public health has done to us the last several decades.

 

[DC2]

I can see how to submit comments, but I'm not finding any way to view comments?

 

[Placebo Effect]

I can see how to submit comments, but I'm not finding any way to view comments?

If you click on the Docket ID, you'll be able to view 'Public Submissions.' At the moment, no one has submitted any comments though.

 

[emus]

I encourage all tobacco harm reduction advocates to submit comments to the FDA endorsing Reynolds' proposal.

I unsuccessfully urged Congress to amend that warning label in the FSPTCA from 2004-2009, but Waxman, Kennedy, CTFK/ACS/AHA/ALA vehemently opposed the proposal.

And since 2009 when the FSPTCA was enacted, I've repeatedly urged FDA to propose regulations to change that misleading warning label.

ALA vehemently opposed
I'd bet my house smokeless tobacco presents substantially lower risks to lungs than cigarettes.

 

[sqirl1]

too soon. we're slowly winning, but we're not quite there to where something like will fly just yet. now 10 or even 5 years from now... well that might be a different story

 

[Stosh]

A warning label that was based on scientific fact and not political considerations would likely help a great number of people. It's really too bad that science has given way to the "Dark Ages" rules of heresy....

 

[Vocalek]

A warning label that was based on scientific fact and not political considerations would likely help a great number of people. It's really too bad that science has given way to the "Dark Ages" rules of heresy....

Speaking of which...

This morning, the comic strip Non Sequitur by Wily struck me as being particularly relevant to the Tobacco Harm Reduction versus Tobacco Control Community situation.

Background: One little girl in the strip has started her own religion. It's a running gag in the strip.
Setting: Elementary school classroom. Teacher is seated and a message on the blackboard reads "Show and Tell."

Little Boy: So the carbon dating of this sample proves that the quarry was formed in the time of the dinosaurs and ...
Little Girl: That makes it 67 years old.
Little Boy: Um, no it was about 300 million years ago...
Little Girl: Not according to the holy scriptures of the one TRUE religion. And since they're HOLY scriptures, they cannot be questioned...EVER.
Little Boy: Uh...but what about FACTS that prove otherwise?
Little Girl: That's called BLASPHEMY.
Teacher: *Sigh* And it's only September.

Non Sequitur Comic Strip on GoComics.com September 19, 2011