From: FDA Voice
By: Cathy L. Backinger, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Cindy Miner, Ph.D.
How dramatic is the increase in e-cigarette use? Why are flavored little cigars and cigarillos increasingly popular among ethnic minorities? What would happen if we reduced the amount of nicotine in cigarettes so that they were no longer addictive?
These are just some of the questions that FDA-funded scientists are answering. Often research is focused on innovation and discovery to expand the body of scientific knowledge. Regulatory science is different—and exciting in its own way. How often do scientists get to see their research findings used to improve people’s lives? Tobacco regulatory scientists are doing just that.
We Need a Strong Science Base to Address Issues that Matter Now
In 2009 Congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, creating the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) at FDA and giving us the responsibility to regulate cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco to protect public health.
Our challenge is to regulate effectively in a changing marketplace. The 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that while cigarette smoking has continued to decline, a new trend emerged—more middle- and high-school students used e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes and 2.2 million students reported using two or more types of tobacco products. In April 2014, FDA proposed a new rule to extend FDA’s authority to cover additional tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, little cigars, and cigarillos.