FDA Statement on the International Tobacco Regulators’ Conference

[Bill Godshall]

FDA Statement on the International Tobacco Regulators' Conference
[h=3]FDA STATEMENT[/h]For Immediate Release: Nov. 16, 2011
Media Inquiries: Stephanie Yao, 301-796-0394, stephanie.yao@fda.hhs.gov
Trade Press Inquiries: Kara Henschel, 301-796-9353, kara.henschel@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Statement on the International tobacco Regulators’ Conference

This week, 65 representatives of health and regulatory agencies from 22 countries attended the International tobacco Regulators’ Conference, hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization tobacco Free Initiative.

During the conference, leaders from around the world engaged in open and frank discussions about their experiences in tobacco regulation to improve the public health of their nations. The leaders also identified opportunities for collaboration in tobacco control efforts and encouraged information-sharing between countries and established experts.

“The Obama Administration is committed to stopping children from smoking and reducing smoking rates and today, we saw a strong, global commitment to address this problem,” said Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “This conference underscores President Obama’s commitment to close collaboration with our international counterparts to end the tobacco epidemic.”

“This is the natural culmination of increasing our work to fight smoking that dates back to the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003,” said Douglas Bettcher, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., director of WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. “This is the next stepping stone on a path to the creation of a vibrant international community of leaders committed to reducing tobacco use.”

At the conclusion of the conference, participants committed to an ongoing, productive international discussion and collaboration about tobacco regulation.

“The industry sees the entire world as a potential market,” said Dr. Hamburg. “It is only natural that like-minded leaders band together to combat this global threat in unison.”

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[Placebo Effect]

“The industry sees the entire world as a potential market,” said Dr. Hamburg. “It is only natural that like-minded leaders band together to combat this global threat in unison in private and away from any non-governmental organizations."

Fixed that for Dr. Hamburg.

It's a shame CASAA isn't better funded. For $5,000 I probably could've become Guyana's tobacco control coordinator and snagged an invite to the conference.

 

[dordas23]

Blanking bunch of busybodies.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Notice how Hamburg's first quote appropriately (from a public health regulatory perspective) stated “The Obama Administration is committed to stopping children from smoking and reducing smoking rates and today, we saw a strong, global commitment to address this problem.”

But the press release did a bait-and-switch with her very next quote falsely insinuating that all tobacco products are similarly hazardous and that the FDA's goal is to eliminate ALL tobacco use “This conference underscores President Obama’s commitment to close collaboration with our international counterparts to end the tobacco epidemic.”

The press release does the same bait-and-switch with Douglas Bettcher's quotes as the first one appropriately stated “This is the natural culmination of increasing our work to fight smoking that dates back to the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003,” but his next quote switched from reducing smoking to reducing all tobacco use “This is the next stepping stone on a path to the creation of a vibrant international community of leaders committed to reducing tobacco use.”

And of course the press release had to have quotes from Hamburg trashing the big bad tobacco industry while portraying themselves (i.e. government regulators) as white knights who will save us all from evil “The industry sees the entire world as a potential market,” said Dr. Hamburg. “It is only natural that like-minded leaders band together to combat this global threat in unison.”

 

[sqirl1]

can I has FIOA request now please?

 

[rolygate]

Their overall goal is a noble one: to protect people from themselves, to protect others, and to reduce the huge death rate.

Unfortunately there are several issues with the actual methodology used:

- In the end this comes down to individual rights: freedom of choice vs government control.
- There are efficient and inefficient ways to go about this. It seems that the only acceptable way to them is the one that doesn't work.
- The 'Quit or die' approach maintains the death rate exactly as it is, while ignoring proven methods that are known to reduce it by 40%.
- Smoking prevalence can be reduced to about 20% by education and advertising blackouts, but it sticks there.
- To reduce it further is impossible without sensible methods.
- The only way that is proven to work is the Swedish solution.
- Unfortunately, although that method results in a massive drop in the number of smokers, and an equally large drop in the associated death rate, it takes money away from those who have it right now.
- It takes jobs away from those who have them, and who control the media image and the regulatory structures.
- It takes power away from the regulators, the interest groups, and the health agencies. It puts the power back in the hands of the consumer.
- Therefore this method - i.e. smokeless tobacco or anything similar - will not be used.
- Therefore public health is not the real issue here: the saving of life is no longer the primary goal, it's to hang on to the money, power and jobs.
- We can now clearly see the entire process has been utterly corrupted.

What is fascinating to me is that a percentage of those involved in this propaganda machine must actually believe it. How can a normal, rational, honest person stand up and speak for methods and regulations that will directly lead to tens of thousands of deaths? Only a psychologist could answer this, it appears to be some kind of mass delusion. I think it must be similar in some way to the way concentration camp guards must have been able to justify in their own minds what they were doing.

I can't see much difference here, to be honest. The resulting death rate is about the same, after all.

 

[Bill Godshall]

I sent the following e-mail to several dozen tobacco beat reporters in the US news media.

From: Bill Godshall
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011 2:17 PM
Subject: FDA Statement on the International Tobacco Regulators' Conference


If you are doing a story regarding the FDA's press release yesterday at
FDA Statement on the International Tobacco Regulators' Conference (which is also reprinted below), here are some suggested questions to ask the FDA spokesperson(s).

Since the FSPTCA prohibits the FDA from banning cigarette sales to high school seniors (i.e. 18 year olds), how can the FDA stop all children from smoking?

Considering that 99% of tobacco morbidity and mortality is caused by daily smoking, why is the FDA now referrring to the cigarette epidemic as a tobacco epidemic?

Since half of America's 70 million tobacco users are NOT daily smokers, why does the FDA want to eliminate all tobacco use instead of focussing its regulatory efforts on reducing daily smoking?

Considering that epidemiological research has consistently confirmed that smokeless tobacco use poses far fewer health and safety risks than cigarette smoking, why does the FDA inaccurately claim (in bold letters) at http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/ResourcesforYou/ucm255658.htm "To date, no tobacco products have been scientifically proven to reduce risk of tobacco-related disease, improve safety or cause less harm than other tobacco products."?

Per FDA's statement cited above, does the FDA also believe that e-cigarettes are just as hazardous as cigarettes (now that FDA has agreed to comply with Judge Richard Leon's ruling that e-cigarettes are tobacco products under the FSPTCA)?

Since tobacco companies are now marketing less hazardous smokeless tobacco products to smokers as alternatives to cigarettes, and since the FDA inaccurately maintains that all tobacco products are as hazardous as cigarettes, why should the public trust the FDA to be truthful or to protect public health?

Wouldn't public health be better served if FDA (instead of blaming the tobacco industry) retracted its own inaccurate claim (that all tobacco products pose similar health and safety risks), truthfully inform smokers that smokefree products are far less hazardous alternatives, and encourage tobacco companies to market far less hazardous alternatives to smokers?

Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
1926 Monongahela Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-351-5880
smokefree@compuserve.com


FDA Statement on the International Tobacco Regulators' Conference

FDA STATEMENT

For Immediate Release: Nov. 16, 2011
Media Inquiries: Stephanie Yao, 301-796-0394, stephanie.yao@fda.hhs.gov
Trade Press Inquiries: Kara Henschel, 301-796-9353, kara.henschel@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Statement on the International Tobacco Regulators’ Conference

This week, 65 representatives of health and regulatory agencies from 22 countries attended the International Tobacco Regulators’ Conference, hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative.

During the conference, leaders from around the world engaged in open and frank discussions about their experiences in tobacco regulation to improve the public health of their nations. The leaders also identified opportunities for collaboration in tobacco control efforts and encouraged information-sharing between countries and established experts.

“The Obama Administration is committed to stopping children from smoking and reducing smoking rates and today, we saw a strong, global commitment to address this problem,” said Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “This conference underscores President Obama’s commitment to close collaboration with our international counterparts to end the tobacco epidemic.”

“This is the natural culmination of increasing our work to fight smoking that dates back to the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003,” said Douglas Bettcher, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., director of WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. “This is the next stepping stone on a path to the creation of a vibrant international community of leaders committed to reducing tobacco use.”

At the conclusion of the conference, participants committed to an ongoing, productive international discussion and collaboration about tobacco regulation.

“The industry sees the entire world as a potential market,” said Dr. Hamburg. “It is only natural that like-minded leaders band together to combat this global threat in unison.”


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[sqirl1]

seriously we need to file an FIOA request on this meeting, the thing is, even if they try to say the FIOA doesn't apply here, we can take it to court and get serious publicity on this. I think it's worth a shot.

 

[Luisa]

seriously we need to file an FIOA request on this meeting, the thing is, even if they try to say the FIOA doesn't apply here, we can take it to court and get serious publicity on this. I think it's worth a shot.

How are we to pay for the legal fees? That is always the problem.