^®: CRE Regulatory Action of the Week

FDA Has Massive Resources for Its Anti-Tobacco Campaign
The FDA's Center for Tobacco Products regulates the tobacco industry. Reports are that the budget for the Center will eventually approach 3/4 of a billion dollars per year. This money comes directly from the tobacco industry through fees charged by the FDA under a 2009 law that gave the agency authority over the tobacco industry.

The Center is planning to spend about $600 million over five years to educate the public about tobacco use. The first campaign will target youth, minorities and other groups including gays, the military and people with disabilities. Ads will run in print and on TV, and the campaign will also use social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

These campaigns, which may or may not attain an acceptable level of data quality, will be presented in a manner that will be difficult for the public and industry to challenge because of their breadth, depth, complexity and sheer volume.