Tobacco kills 443,000 Americans each year. The same arsenic used in rat poison is found in cigarettes, as well as substances like hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia. Tobacco products, unlike other consumer products sold in the United States, had escaped significant government regulation. Virtually anything can be added to tobacco products.
The American Heart Association supports the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a law granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) full authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution, sale, labeling, advertising and promotion of tobacco products to protect the public health. It was signed into law on June 22, 2009 by President Obama. Among the many important provisions, it allows the FDA to require manufacturers to remove harmful ingredients from tobacco products, prohibits tobacco companies from using “light,” “low-tar,” “mild” and all similar misleading descriptions, strengthens the enforcement of restrictions of sales to kids, and also restricts advertising and marketing strategies used to entice minors to start smoking.
On June 21, 2011, the FDA released nine graphic health warnings that will appear on cigarette packages by September 2012 to heighten awareness about the dangers of smoking. They will help consumers understand that tobacco use is an unhealthy habit that causes serious health effects including heart disease and stroke. These new warnings can help discourage consumers from smoking and encourage smokers to quit.
- FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products
- AHA Comment Letter on Tobacco Warning Labels
- AHA Comment Letter on the Experimental Study of Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels
- Tobacco Warning Labels Fact Sheet
- Smokeless Tobacco
- Impact of FDA Law on State and Local Tobacco Control Efforts
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Tobacco website
Historical Documents
- AHA Endorsement Letter
- Partners FDA letter to 111th Congress
- FDA Regulation of Tobacco Is a Women's Health Issue
