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FDA marks Tobacco Control Act anniversary
WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration marked the first anniversary of the U.S. Tobacco Control Act, which gave it regulatory control of tobacco products.
Under that law -- signed by President Obama last June 22 -- the FDA put special emphasis on preventing tobacco use by children and reducing the impact of tobacco on public health. The act, among other things, authorizes the FDA to set tobacco product standards, require product listing and registration, revise health warning labels, create manufacturing standards and review products intended to modify the risk of tobacco use.
"The past year has seen the initiation of the scientific and regulatory foundation for the regulation of tobacco products," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The Department of Health and Human Services will continue to work deliberately toward our goals for a healthier America."
The FDA said the anniversary Tuesday also marks the start of enforcement of several of the Act's provisions, including:
-- Rules that limit the sale, distribution and marketing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to protect the health of children and adolescents.
-- Laws prohibiting advertising or labeling of tobacco products with the descriptors "light," "mild" or "low" or similar descriptors without a FDA order.
--Requirements that new, larger health warning labels for smokeless tobacco products begin to rotate on labels and advertising and begin to be displayed on smokeless tobacco packaging.
WASHINGTON, (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration marked the first anniversary of the U.S. Tobacco Control Act, which gave it regulatory control of tobacco products.
Under that law -- signed by President Obama last June 22 -- the FDA put special emphasis on preventing tobacco use by children and reducing the impact of tobacco on public health. The act, among other things, authorizes the FDA to set tobacco product standards, require product listing and registration, revise health warning labels, create manufacturing standards and review products intended to modify the risk of tobacco use.
"The past year has seen the initiation of the scientific and regulatory foundation for the regulation of tobacco products," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The Department of Health and Human Services will continue to work deliberately toward our goals for a healthier America."
The FDA said the anniversary Tuesday also marks the start of enforcement of several of the Act's provisions, including:
-- Rules that limit the sale, distribution and marketing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to protect the health of children and adolescents.
-- Laws prohibiting advertising or labeling of tobacco products with the descriptors "light," "mild" or "low" or similar descriptors without a FDA order.
--Requirements that new, larger health warning labels for smokeless tobacco products begin to rotate on labels and advertising and begin to be displayed on smokeless tobacco packaging.