Alternative Tobacco Products as a Second Front in the War on Tobacco

Tobacco use remains a pediatric disease because 9 of 10 smokers begin smoking before their 18th birthday.¹ Nearly half a million US citizens die prematurely each year from smoking-related diseases, with substantial economic consequences.¹ To address these continued problems, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was enacted in June 2009 and empowered the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the manufacture, sale, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products. Under the act, the FDA can restrict marketing and sales of tobacco products to youth, mandate reporting of ingredients and additives, ban cigarette flavorings, and review manufacturers’ claims regarding allegedly lower-risk products.