FDA Rejects Tobacco Products for First Time

[briarfriar]

Acting under a federal statute from 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it has begun to regulate and prohibit tobacco products.
The story here in today's New York Times.
Here we go, friends. It's only a matter of time. I am not an apocalyptic alarmist, but you know how these things work.
Jay

 

[numbersix]

The article states it affects cigarettes as well as roll your own, I am not sure if pipe tobacco falls into it. Either way, it sounds like the FDA is prohibiting harmful additions rather than straight tobacco (the cigarette industry has been allowed in the past to put whatever the heck they want into a cigarette and not even disclose the ingredients).
Generally speaking I am in favor of our gov't staying out of business affairs, but sometimes it makes sense to enter in (it's drawing the line between infringing on ones rights and protecting others that is the tricky part).
All in all, this doesn't necessarily bode bad things to come.

 

[mso489]

I have not seen FDA as a particularly effective regulator even when researchers, including those

within the government, have established toxicological hazards of pharmaceuticals or environmental

chemicals. If anything, it has been industry, anticipating trouble, that has pulled products with

problematical ingredients -- it's not from the goodness of their hearts, they just know other

ingredients that will fill the purpose with less hazard. But FDA has never "knocked my hat off"

with the vigor or proactivity of its regulatory energy.

 

[daytonsean]

I don't see anything in the article about pipe tobacco specifically. So I'm not sure what the alarm is for?

 

[protestantpiper]

It's certainly a slippery slope...invest in tobacco and bullets, as both will begin to vanish in our lifetime.

 

[admin]

Scary stuff.

 

[smokeybear]

I think all this was mentioned on the Pipesmagazine podcast a couple weeks ago when the sutliff tobacco company and chairman of the pipe smokers board (something like that sorry i don't remember) was being interviewed.

 

[numbersix]

The smaller cigar makers in Tampa and master blenders like Jack @ Sterling and Carole @ Pipeworks & Wilke can't afford to do that. Costs too much to submit, will take forever to process, and, even going through that goat rope, rejection possibilities are high (note 50% of the applications submitted so far have been rejected).

Roth - are you sure these regulations affect pipe tobacco blenders? The article didn't state pipe tobacco (it did say RYO, but I am still not sure that pipe tobacco is officially in that category).
If so, tough times are in store indeed.

 

[brian64]

Here we go, friends. It's only a matter of time. I am not an apocalyptic alarmist, but you know how these things work.

Yes...it always begins in a manner that sounds “reasonable” to the average person. And then, once the precedent is set, and the “authority” (unconstitutional, imo) is in place, slowly progresses with its creeping encroachment. It never ends. It’s always the same. It’s the nature of the beast.
But hey, seeing how the FDA has such a stellar track record on protecting the public from health hazards in food and pharmaceuticals, why wouldn’t we want their authority expanded? :roll:

 

[brian64]

It's going to kill small business, especially smaller manufacturers of hand made cigars and master blenders of pipe tobacco.

IMO, the major federal regulatory agencies are pretty much completely owned and operated by the very same huge corporations they are supposedly regulating...as evidenced by the revolving door between the corporate boardrooms and the agency staffs. This is why the alleged regulations always have the result of killing small business. That is exactly what the true intention is to begin with. The agencies are simply an instrument for big corporations to put their small competitors out of business.

 

[lonestar]

The scariest part is FDAs well established track record of destroying small business and allowing big business donors free reign.

A good example is this article.

It says the FDAs first two new "approved" cigarettes since taking over tobacco regulating are both Lorillard Tobacco products (Newports) while 4 unnamed brands have been rejected (and effectively eliminated from the market).

Without knowing any details about the rejected products, it is impossible to make an informed opinion. But knowing how they operate, it is easy to imagine that Lorillard owns the right people, and the other 4 brands do not.

On the other hand, they claim to approve products "equivalent" to those already on the market. So that could mean a new Virginia/Perique pipe blend would be approved, as many similar products is already on the market. That is putting a lot of faith in the inherent fairness of the system, which seems pretty unwarranted.

 

[numbersix]

Six, the NY Times article doesn't mention it (in fact they don't mention cigars and pipe tobacco at all), but the Federal Law grants the FDA Overlord authority over all tobacco products. The FDA just hasn't applied their authority to these as yet.

Thanks roth - makes sense.

Yes...it always begins in a manner that sounds “reasonable” to the average person. And then, once the precedent is set, and the “authority” (unconstitutional, imo) is in place, slowly progresses with its creeping encroachment. It never ends. It’s always the same. It’s the nature of the beast.

+1

 

[docwatson]

Here we go, friends. It's only a matter of time. I am not an apocalyptic alarmist, but you know how these things work.

Jay
+2

 

[captainbob]

Yes, since the FTCA (Family Tobacco and Control Act) was signed into Law by Obama, the FDA has the authority to regulate pipe tobacco through hefty cost compliance regulations which are being implemented in due course. Where were all you guys when this Law was being proposed? Did you contact you Legislator's? Did you partake in the Public Opinion Period open to all via the internet? This is nothing new at all. It is the Law of the land. Craig Tarler (C&D) told me three years ago in Chicago that it would take all small manufacturers out of the business when implemented because 70% of all pipe tobacco sold is classified as aromatic. The FDA is not going to allow aromatic toppings because it may attract people to pipe smoking! His words are still ringing in my ears. He said it would take about five years. Simply, Google Family Tobacco Control Act. Read it and weep!
Here are some of the Provisions of the Act:

Creates the Center for Tobacco Products, a tobacco control center within the FDA and gives the FDA authority to regulate the content, marketing and sale of tobacco products.

Requires tobacco companies and importers to reveal all product ingredients and seek FDA approval for any new tobacco products.

Allows the FDA to change tobacco product content.

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